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GOVERNMENT POLICIES SHAPING EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION IN KENYA

BY JOEL KAVILWA



Government Policies Shaping Education Transformation

With IT advancements and changing cultural needs, all aspects of education are evolving globally, from physical classrooms to eLearning. This transition has been accelerated by conscious government efforts to reform the education system of Kenya into a twenty-first-century or knowledge-based system. From the adaptation of the curriculum to the integration of digital resources, Kenya’s educational transformations illustrate how purposeful policymaking might reshape learning outcomes, address disparities, and prepare students for the rapidly evolving world around them. Building on earlier essays examining the current state of schooling in Kenya, the challenges of infrastructure and fairness within, and, increasingly, the role of development policy, here I argue that government policies themselves, particularly the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), integration of ICT, reforms to teacher training, and international partnerships, have played a critical role in pushing change within Kenya’s education system to the forefront of its national agenda. 


The Competency-Based Curriculum: A Basis for Modernization 


The Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which Kenya adopted in 2017, marked a complete change from its traditional examination-led education methods from the previous decades. The CBC follows worldwide educational practices focusing on competency instead of memorization to develop critical thinking together with creative abilities and useful skills. Through the CBC Structural Progress, Grade 9 pupils were permitted to continue their studies in primary schools until 2025 for cognitive and emotional preparedness. Students will enjoy a full learning experience because the government is demonstrating its commitment to this fundamental education reform. The system is based on Piaget's stages of cognitive development and other theoretical frameworks.

The CBC integrates embedding vocational training at junior secondary level such that it leads to awarding of academic qualifications alongside acquiring technical competence. The Kenya Vision 2030 national development framework selects the program as its anchoring program in an attempt to align academic education in the market demand as well as the insecurity of employment of youths. Uncertainty of the master curriculum plan coupled with excessive development of new secondary schools unsettles parents with the program. Also, the reform is tainted with habitual logistics problems. The CBC bears witness to Kenya's total devotion to improved student welfare through up-to-date development with comprehensive education despite its long list of issues in implementation.

 

Digital Literacy and ICT Integration: Bridging the Technological Divide 

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) serves as the leader for updating digital literacy status into a core skill across every 2025 curriculum subject in Kenyan educational institutions. Every stage of curriculum now uses technology because the goal consists of developing necessary 21st-century abilities. The 2021 Policy on Information and Communication Technology in Education and Training backing from the Kenyan government enforces ICT incorporation from classrooms to teacher training programs. 

GPE’s funding of the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) enabled Kenya to implement real-time tracking of enrollment numbers and resource distribution together with attendance data. The digital gap remains significant because remote learning instruments were missing from more than half of the student population when schools went remote during the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of digitized textbooks went out to schools alongside the LEGO Foundation’s support to build up eLearning systems across the country. Kenya maintains parallel commitments between technological innovation and fair distribution of opportunities, with rural and poverty-stricken areas proceeding at a slower pace than urban locations.

 

Teacher Training and Capacity Building 

The education reforms of Kenya fundamentally depend on the competency of teachers. The World Bank shows that mathematics instructional training for 102,000 teachers produced improved student numeracy scores, resulting in a 2.4% increase in proficient students from 79.1% to 81.5% between 2016 and 2021. The National Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) system started in 4,000 schools before becoming nationwide by providing continuous professional development, which connected evaluation results to learning outcomes in classrooms. 

The CBC has revealed that teachers across different stages of implementation do not have sufficient preparation. School teachers at the primary level must now handle junior secondary subject matter even though specialists at high schools traditionally deliver this content. To solve this issue, the government has placed "refresher training" programs and has established collaborations with civil society organizations that target upgrading teacher skills regarding CBC approaches. The government emphasizes that effective curriculum changes require financial investment to develop teachers' capabilities as separate entities. 


Partnerships and Equity-Driven Policies 

Kenya has achieved greater success in its education reforms through its international cooperative initiatives. The GPE's $88.4 million grant from 2015 to 2022 funded textbook distribution, sanitation improvements, and gender equality programs in elementary education, thus achieving gender balance in student enrollment. The World Bank’s Public Expenditure Review documented that Kenya invested 5.3% of its GDP in education in 2018 as a core element driving better education outcomes, yet it did not resolve geographical differences between regions. 

The Sector Policy for Learners with Disabilities serves as evidence of the government's dedication to marginalized communities by establishing accessible books for visually and hearing-impaired students. The 2025 Re-Imagine Education initiative works to build relationships between education institutions and businesses for curricular development, which will generate graduates with skills suited to the digital Kenyan economy. Equity-oriented policies work towards making education exist as a universal public resource that unites economic classes. 

 

Challenges and the Path Forward

The systemic obstacles prevent Kenya from fully benefiting from its education transformation efforts. The educational time span ranges from 6.5 learning-adjusted years in Turkana’s arid territories to 12 years in Nairobi schools. The CBC will succeed only when the nation resolves capacity issues that include overloaded primary schools unable to take Grade 9 students. 

Policymakers who want to extend their progress must address two key local challenges by moving teachers to under resourced areas and establishing rural schools with digital capabilities. Educational funding prospects look good because the government plans to consolidate finances over the next year despite predicting GDP growth at 5.2% in 2023–24. Historical material excluded from Kenyan school curricula deprives students of capacity to solve structural social issues, Brookings experts state. Future education reforms must accomplish balanced development between technical progress and teaching civic education in order to create actively involved moral learners.

Conclusion

Kenya's education system is proof that government policies possess the revolutionizing power to change learning techniques in education. The reforms fill the gap between the current education practice and prospective world trends through the adoption of targeted CBC student-centered teaching practices and computer-based learning platforms. Through their data-driven partnerships, Kenya has set an example for other countries to follow in transforming students from traditional classrooms to eLearning in spite of the dominating disparities in resources. To enable it to achieve an education system that prepares all learners, the country must prioritize continued investment in teacher capacity, digital infrastructure, and inclusive policy within the umbrella of Vision 2030. 


 

References

Education system change: Perspectives from Kenya. (2022, March 9). Brookings Institution. Retrieved April 20, 2025, from https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/education-system-change-perspectives-from-kenya/ 

Kenya launches ‘Re-Imagine Education 2025’ initiative to transform learning systems for 21st century economy. (2025, February 8). NAM News Network. Retrieved April 20, 2025, from http://www.namnewsnetwork.org/?p=291776 

Kenya: Investing in education for a better future. (2023, March). Global Partnership for Education. Retrieved April 20, 2025, from https://www.globalpartnership.org/results/country-journeys/kenya-investing-education-better-future 

Kenya's 2025 School Year Without Form Ones: Questions and Opportunities in the CBC Era. (n.d.). LinkedIn. Retrieved April 20, 2025, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/kenyas-2025-school-year-without-form-ones-questions-cbc-shikanga-ykbof 

Lessons from Kenya’s Education Reforms. (2022, June 21). World Bank. Retrieved April 20, 2025, from https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/kenya/publication/lessons-from-kenya-s-education-reforms 

Policies. (n.d.). Ministry of Education - Kenya. Retrieved April 20, 2025, from https://www.education.go.ke/policies-0 

The Kenya Education Situation in January 2025: Navigating the Transition of the CBC System and Using Adaptive M&E to Manage Transitions. (n.d.). LinkedIn. Retrieved April 20, 2025, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/kenya-education-situation-january-2025-navigating-cbc-byron-wayodi-flttf 

The Politics of Teaching Conflict: Memory and Education in Kenya. (2025, March 6). PRIF Blog. Retrieved April 20, 2025, from https://blog.prif.org/2025/03/06/the-politics-of-teaching-conflict-memory-and-education-in-kenya/

Understanding the 2025 KICD Curriculum Changes in Kenya. (n.d.). CBC App. Retrieved April 20, 2025, from https://cbcapp.co.ke/understanding-the-2025-kicd-curriculum-changes-in-kenya-a-guide-for-educators-and-stakeholders/

Comments

  1. Stephen Otieno24 April 2025 at 11:19

    The CBC's emphasis on learner-centered education is for sure a significant feature. students can learn at their own speed and interact with material that plays to their interests and skills thanks to the curriculum's support for tailored learning. This individualized approach encourages students to explore their potential in a variety of sectors, including the arts, sciences, and sports, while also meeting their different needs. In order to foster responsible and involved citizenry, the curriculum also places a strong emphasis on the development of social, emotional, and ethical values.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Valentine yego25 April 2025 at 12:37

    This is incredible

    ReplyDelete
  3. Quintamegh Ogolla25 April 2025 at 22:24

    It's indeed true that the government is really trying to adjust with the CBC system but it will take a while and lots of effort for the CBC to be a permanent system in Kenya

    ReplyDelete

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