- Converting Grade Tens to Form Ones is not a setback; it is curriculum justice, giving learners the time and support they need to master foundational knowledge and thrive in Senior School.
- By taking this bold step, Kenya can redeem a generation, safeguard the integrity of its education system, and invest in human capital for the nation’s future.
- Education is not about expediency; it is about competence, mastery, and opportunity, and we owe every learner a fair chance to succeed.
What would we lose as a country if we converted the current Grade Tens into Form Ones? At first glance, it may sound radical, even controversial. But the question is neither absurd nor impossible. The reality on the ground paints a stark picture: many of the learners entering Senior School from Grade Ten are underprepared, struggling to meet the academic demands expected of them. Their entry behavior across virtually all learning areas reflects gaps in competence rather than mastery, despite having undergone a competence-based curriculum (CBC) in a competence-based education (CBE) framework. How did we arrive here, and what does this mean for the future of our education system?
During the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms consultations at Sironga Girls High School in Nyamira County, I put forward a radical yet practical proposal. My suggestion was to treat the then Grade Six learners as a pilot cohort and provide them with what I termed a “curriculum cushion.” In simple terms, the idea was to temporarily revert these learners to the 8-4-4 structure for the upper primary level, enabling them to progress to Standard Seven and Eight, rather than adopting the full CBC Junior Secondary system at a time when the country was clearly unprepared.
The rationale was straightforward: feedback from schools and educators indicated a massive readiness gap for Junior Secondary. Many schools were struggling to implement CBC effectively due to systemic challenges, yet the policy moved forward as if these concerns did not exist. A pause, or “cushioning,” would have allowed us to identify and address these gaps while keeping the pilot cohort on track for eventual CBC adoption. Unfortunately, this and similar proposals were overlooked. The result? The gaps persist, now manifesting most critically in our current Grade Tens.
Among the most glaring issues is the acute shortage and mismatch of teachers in Junior Schools. Across the country, schools have had to deploy teachers far outside their area of specialization. Humanities teachers are assigned to integrated science classes, language teachers to pre-technical courses, and in some instances, entire Junior Secondary Schools with nine learning areas, each replicated across three grades are run by only two teachers. Coupled with inadequate infrastructure, limited textbooks, and scarce learning resources in Science, Technology and Innovation, Pre-Technical, Creative Arts, and Sports, the Junior School experience has, in many cases, been a “comedy of errors.”
Efforts by the government to bridge these gaps, through teacher recruitment, infrastructure upgrades, and resource allocation are commendable. But for the current Grade Tens, these interventions are too late. Their formative years were spent in a curriculum labyrinth, leaving them bewildered as they enter Senior School. Without deliberate remedial measures, we are knowingly advancing students with significant academic deficits, undermining the very purpose of education.
Here is the radical yet simple solution: convert Grade Tens into Form Ones. This is not about creating more bureaucracy or manipulating policy; it is about curriculum justice. It is about providing these learners with the time and structure necessary to master foundational content. The content they would engage with as Form Ones assumes less prior knowledge, which allows learners to build competence gradually and sustainably.
Critics may argue that this adds an extra year to students’ academic journey. But what is one additional year compared to the decades of lost potential we risk if we advance students unprepared for higher learning? By intentionally converting Grade Tens into Form Ones, we not only give these learners a fair chance to succeed, but we also safeguard the integrity of our secondary education system.
The benefits extend beyond individual learners. Reverting Grade Tens to Form Ones buys the country time to establish authentic competence-based structures in both Junior and Senior Schools. It creates an opportunity to align curriculum delivery with teacher capacity, infrastructure, and resource availability. By the time the first Grade Tens of 2027 enter Senior School, the system will be adequately prepared, minimizing learning gaps and maximizing student outcomes.
This approach is about redeeming a generation. It is about rejecting the expediency of policy implementation at the expense of student learning. We must ask ourselves: what is the purpose of education if we knowingly allow students to proceed through the system ill-equipped to succeed? Curriculum justice is not theoretical; it is practical, achievable, and urgent.
In practical terms, implementing this proposal requires a coordinated national effort. Schools must reorganize timetables to accommodate a full cohort repetition while ensuring minimal disruption to other learners. Teachers must receive guidance on differentiated instruction to support students transitioning from Grade Ten to Form One. Learning resources must be redistributed to maximize accessibility. Most importantly, policymakers must embrace flexibility in curriculum implementation, recognizing that strict adherence to timelines should never override the fundamental goal of education: competence, mastery, and readiness for life and work.
The case for converting Grade Tens to Form Ones is also supported by global examples. Countries that have successfully implemented competence-based curricula often include built-in remedial pathways for learners who lag in mastery. This ensures that students progress only when they are ready, reducing dropout rates and improving long-term learning outcomes. Kenya has the opportunity to pioneer a similar approach: a bold, deliberate, and learner-centered solution that prioritizes human capital over bureaucratic expediency.
Ultimately, this is about principled leadership and moral responsibility. We cannot claim to champion CBC while ignoring the structural gaps that render it ineffective for a whole cohort. Converting Grade Tens to Form Ones is not a failure; it is an act of foresight, compassion, and educational equity. It demonstrates that we value the potential of our youth and are willing to take decisive steps to protect their future.
What would Kenya lose by adopting this measure? Nothing. What would we gain? A generation of learners empowered with knowledge, skills, and confidence; students who are truly prepared to thrive in Senior School and beyond. This is not merely a policy adjustment; it is a statement of national intent, an investment in human capital, and a commitment to curriculum integrity.
For the current Grade Tens, the time for action is now. Let us stand for curriculum justice, redeem the future of these children, and build a foundation for authentic competence-based education in Kenya. It is the least we can do for them, for ourselves, and for posterity.
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Dr. Charles Nyandusi, PhD is a Curricularist and Teacher Educator at Moi University, specializing in Curriculum, Instruction, and Educational Media. His research focuses on curriculum development, teacher capacity, and the practical implementation of competence-based education in Kenya. Contact: charlesnyandusi@gmail.com
