Secondary schools across the country are preparing for a significant restructuring that may result in reduced size and potential staff layoffs due to budget cuts.
Teachers face an unfamiliar learning environment as Form One class approaches its exit in just six months. As Kenya transitions to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), schools will experience the initial significant effects of phasing out the 8-4-4 system.
Starting in January, secondary schools will exclusively offer Form Two, Form Three, and Form Four classes as they get ready to accommodate CBC Grade 10, Grade 11, and Grade 12 students, with the pioneer class beginning in 2026.
An assessment revealed that government funding through capitation for public secondary schools across the country could decrease by up to KSh20 billion due to the expected restructuring. Schools receive an annual capitation of KSh22, 244 per student.
The situation is even more challenging for boarding schools, which will also miss out on direct fees paid by students. National schools will experience a reduction in direct fees paid per student, currently set at KSh53, 069. Meanwhile, extra county or county schools charge KSh45, 069 per learner.
According to school heads, the anticipated change will adversely affect institutions that are already grappling with operational challenges due to insufficient funding. Willy Kuria, Chairman of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association, cautioned that reduced funding would place these institutions in significant distress.
According to his assessment, the decrease in population will result in sufficient infrastructure, including classrooms, laboratories, and dormitories. However, Kuria contends that this population decline will minimally affect operational costs in most schools.
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“The utility bills in school such as water and power bills will largely remain unchanged even with the decline in numbers,” Kuria said. He also cautioned that reduced funding could lead institutions to downsize.
“If you lose funding and your operation cost is still high then you are forced to look into other avenues which will include cost cutting so you’ll probably see some schools let go of Board of Management teachers, and in some cases losing some non-teaching staff,” he added.
Private schools will also face challenges due to the decreasing student population. Charles Ochome, Chairman of the Kenya Private Schools Association, acknowledged this impending change and stated that institutions will adapt individually to meet the situation next year.
Ochome states that private schools rely entirely on student fees, and any decrease in revenue will necessitate adjustments to ensure their sustainability.
“One of the major effects we might see is the loss of jobs in our schools, if a school finds itself with a bloated staff they will then need to take some action,” Ochome said.
The silver lining is that a reduced student population might alleviate the persistent congestion issue that has affected secondary schools since the implementation of the 100 per cent transition policy.
According to Moses Nturima, the deputy secretary-general of the Kenya Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), the decrease in student numbers will alleviate the teacher shortage issue. He recommends that school administrators review staffing gaps in schools as institutions reopen next year.
“Congestion has been a major problem in schools since the 100 per cent transition policy, this also gave rise to other problems such as alleviating teacher shortage but the decline in the number of students will have an underhand to subvert some of this,” Nturima said.
He suggested that the additional classrooms could be utilized to relocate students from overcrowded classes, while others could be repurposed for facilities like laboratories and workshops.
By Frank Mugwe
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