8-4-4 Curriculum in Kenya

[4] During the end of colonization, many African countries were going through changes as they gained their independence. Before Kenya was its own country, education was divided by racial lines. This created three separate education systems, African education, Asian education, and European education. Each was structured based on the colonial ideology of the levels of intelligence each race was believed to have. According to them,Africans were as intelligent as the average 7-8 year old European boy, therefore they mostly incorporated the European education into the African education system. Independence triggered changes brought upon by difference in content of history and geography among single nations. Kenyan Identity was a priority while the nation was learning how to be unified with the other two East African countries; Uganda and Tanzania.[1] These three countries joined to form the East African Community in 1967 and adopted the 7-4-2-3 system of education.

Ten years later (1977), the East African Community disintegrated, however, Kenya went on to use this system for 8 years. In the year 1985, Kenya's former President Daniel arap Moi established the 8-4-4 system of education. This system replaced the 7-4-2-3 system and it is made up of 8 years of primary education (classes 1–8), 4 years of secondary education (form1-4), and 4 years of university education.

[1] The 8-4-4 system that consists of 8 years of primary education, 4 years of secondary education, and 4 years of university education is attended by students who have completed two years of pre-school education (aged 3–6 years old). The system's main purpose was to improve the development of self-expression, self-discipline and independence. With the change in the education system, came the change in the primary national test from CPE(Certificate of Education) to KCPE(Kenya Certificate of Primary Education) and the secondary national test from KCE(Kenya Certificate of Education) to KCSE(Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education).

[5] The 8-4-4 curriculum offers Science, Social Studies, Kiswahili, English, Math, Religious education, Creative arts, Physical Education (PE), and life skills studies at the Primary level. The system offers an estimate of thirty subjects grouped in 6 categories (Languages, Science, Applied Sciences, Humanities, Creative Arts, and Technical Subjects). Students are then tested in four of the subjects groups in their KCSE examination. A grade of C+ is the minimum required for admissions into Kenyan Universities.

In 2027 the last class of the 8-4-4 curriculum is to do their national examination (K.C.S.E) making them the last class to do the 8-4-4 system.

In January 2003 President Mwai Kibaki re-introduced free education which even allowed the oldest person to enroll in primary school to attend his primary schooling. Kimani Maruge, decided to attend primary school at the age of 84 and was able to live out his dreams of becoming a head boy at the age of 86.

At the secondary level, the well performed students enjoy the privilege of attending national schools and receiving full funding for their tuition. The under performed students get a chance to attend district schools but the downside to that is that they have to pay for the tuition out of pocket.

Unfortunately, even with the 8-4-4 system, the percentage of students who go on to attend University is still low. One reason is because the wealthy or well off families are able to send their children to foreign Universities. Another reason is that the cost is not affordable to many yet. Statistics on education show that regional disparities still exist despite the excellent national record. The semi-arid areas, the parastatic areas and areas where the Muslim religion is predominant had lagged behind other areas in education. Due to that and more, the system experiences constant changes to be more accommodative. Changes to the 8-4-4 system were as recent as the year 2020.

[6] The vision of the basic education curriculum reforms is to enable every Kenyan to become an engaged, empowered and ethical citizen. This will be achieved by providing every Kenyan learner with world class standards in the skills and knowledge that they deserve, and which they need in order to thrive in the 21st century. This shall be accomplished through the provision of excellent teaching, school environments and resources and a sustainable visionary curriculum that provides every learner with seamless, competency based high quality learning that values every learner. This will be achieved through the new educational system; the 2-6-6-3 system.

[6] Kenya introduced the new Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) in 2017 to replace the 8-4-4 system. The new curriculum was implemented in the primary level from classes 1–5. With its gradual introduction, the government's vision is to organize the curriculum as follows: Basic Education will be divided into three levels: Early education, middle school education and senior school education. The Competency-Based Curriculum consists of a 2-6-3-3-3 system that is divided as follows:

• 2 years in pre-primary education
• 6 years in primary education
• 6 years in junior and senior secondary education
• 3 years(minimum) in university education

[7] Furthermore, lessons taught will only last 30 minutes, 10 minutes lesser than the 8-4-4 system. There shall be five lessons in a day for pre-primary school pupils and seven for their lower primary counterparts. Across the first term, pre-primary school will have five lessons on language activities, five on mathematics activities, five on environmental activities, eight on psychomotor and creative activities, one on religious activities and another on Pastoral Programme of Instruction (PPI).

The first cohort of students under the Competency Based Curriculum to transition from Upper primary to junior High School will join in early 2023. The government has been constructing more classrooms in existing secondary schools across the country to accommodate the junior high learners.[8]

Early education includes pre-primary and lower primary education that will take five years. The five years will consist of two years of pre-primary and three years of lower primary school education. In the two years of primary educations, schools will offer language, mathematical, environmental, psychomotor and creative, and religious education activities. When it comes to lower primary education, schools will offer subjects such as Literacy, Kiswahili Language including the Kenya Sign Language in order to be inclusive of deaf students, English Language, Indigenous Language, Mathematical, Environmental, Hygiene and Nutrition, Religious Education and Movement and creative Activities.

The middle school level on this new system is made up of three years of upper primary school education and three years of lower secondary education to total six years of middle school education. The first three years of the upper primary school education will offer

• English
• Kiswahili
• Sign language
• Home science
• Agriculture
• Science and technology,
• Mathematics
• Religious Education (CRE/IRE/HRE),
• Creative Arts
• Physical and Health Education,
• Social Studies.

At this level, schools will offer an optional foreign languages (Arabic, French, German, Mandarin). The next three years of lower secondary education, grades 7, 8, and 9 and grades 10, 11 and 12, will allow graduates of primary school Grade 6 to join lower secondary at Grade 7. Lower secondary will expose the learner to a broad based curriculum to enable them to explore their own abilities, personality and potential as a basis for choosing subjects according to career paths of interest at the senior school.

In Grade 4 learners will be introduced to the optional subjects offered at upper primary so as to make informed choices at Grade 7. Learners in lower secondary will undergo a rigorous career guidance programme and be exposed to the related subjects to enable them to make informed choices as they transit to senior school.

Subjects for Lower Secondary School are divided in two categories; core and optional subjects. At this level, a broad based curriculum is offered to enable the learner to explore their own interests and potential as a basis for choosing subjects according to career paths of interest at senior level.

Core Subjects

Learners will be required to take the 12 core subjects provided.

1. English

2. Kiswahili or Kenyan Sign Language for learners who are deaf

3. Mathematics

4. Integrated Science

5. Health Education

6. Pre-Technical and Pre-Career Education

7. Social Studies

8. Religious Education – learners choose one of the following:

i. Christian Religious Education

ii. Islamic Religious Education

iii. Hindu Religious Education

9. Business Studies

10. Agriculture

11. Life Skills Education

12. Sports and Physical Education

Optional Subjects

Learners are provided with an opportunity to choose a minimum of one and a maximum of two subjects according to personality, abilities, interests and career choices from the list provided.

1. Visual Arts

2. Performing Arts

3. Home Science

4. Computer Science

5. Foreign Languages:

i. German

ii. French

iii. Mandarin

iv. Arabic

6. Kenyan Sign Language

7. Indigenous Languages

Senior School will consist of three years of education targeted at learners in the age bracket of 15 to 17 years and lays the foundation for further education and training at the tertiary level and the world of work. It will marks the end of Basic Education as defined in the Education Act, 2013.

Learners exiting this level are expected to be “empowered, engaged and ethical citizens” ready to participate in the socio-economic development of the nation.

The learner entering this level shall have had opportunities at lower secondary to explore their own potential, interests and personality and is therefore ready to begin specialization in a career path of choice. The specialization entails choosing to pursue studies in one of the three pathways available in senior school. He or she can choose the Arts and Sports Science, Social Sciences or Science Technical Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pathway.

Schools will be specialized institutions that will provide opportunities for learners to focus in a field of their choice as well as form a foundation for further education and training and gaining employable skills. Senior schools will be required to therefore organize open days to enable learners and parents to glean the information necessary for effective decision- making. Additionally, a robust parental empowerment and engagement programme will be necessary to strengthen the involvement of parents in this process.

The new system will also include an expanded curriculum for Learners with Special Educational Needs. Learners with special educational needs who may follow the regular curriculum may include those with:

• Visual Impairment
• Hearing Impairment
• Physical Handicap
• Mild Cerebral Palsy
• Learning Disabilities
• Autism
• Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties
• Communication Disorders and the
• Gifted and Talented

Learners with Special Needs Who May Not have their needs met from just following the Regular Curriculum

Learners with special needs who may not have their needs met from just following the regular curriculum may include those with:

• Mental Handicap
• Deaf blindness
• Severe Autism
• Severe Cerebral Palsy
• Multiple Handicaps
• Profound Disabilities.

In the 21st century, transitions in the way of life in Kenya has proved that great and most significant educational system ever used in Kenya has reached its end and can no longer be used to meet the demands of the country. The country is moving towards an inclusive and more innovative direction. The expansion is purposed to increase performance that will be compared at a national level.