Stakeholders divided over proposal to split junior school

Education PS Julius Bitok issues KCSE Chemistry Paper 1 (Theory) to candidates at Kapkondot Secondary School, Kerio Valley, on November 3, 2025. [File]

Details have emerged on a proposal to  split Junior School into two in a move that would effectively revert Kenya’s education system to the scrapped 8-4-4 model.

Under the proposal now before Parliament, Junior School would be restructured so that Grades 7 and 8 remain in primary schools, while the final class, Grade 9, is moved to Senior Secondary School.

If implemented, the changes would leave primary schools with eight classes, the same structure that existed under the 8-4-4 system. 

At the same time, Senior Secondary School would be expanded to four classes, once again mirroring the old education cycle.

The structure will now revise the 2-6-3-3 CBC model to 2-6-2-4-3, which will be two years in pre-primary, six years in primary, two years in junior secondary, four years in senior secondary and three years in university or tertiary institution.

“The petition proposes a restructuring of the education system from the current 2-6-3-3-3 model to a 2-6-2-4-3 structure to address challenges arising from the implementation of Junior Secondary School within primary institutions,” the petition reads.

The proposal, by former Teachers Service Commission Chief Executive Benjamin Sogomo, is contained in a petition submitted to Parliament and is currently before the National Assembly’s Education Committee.

The petition was formally received by Parliament on October 12, according to parliamentary records will be fronted to the National Assembly Committee on Education for discussion.

Although the petition does not explicitly call for the reinstatement of 8-4-4, it states that the current Junior School curriculum is too advanced for primary school settings and should be revised to reflect content that is appropriate for basic education.

“The curriculum being delivered at Junior Secondary level is not aligned with the capacity of most primary schools and requires rationalisation to suit the learning environment,” the petition reads.

This means that learners in junior school would only study content fit for primary school, and will only specialise in secondary school content when they join senior secondary school.

This means the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development could be forced to revise the content taught in Junior schools if the proposal is adopted.

“The intention is not to reverse CBC, but to make it workable, efficient and aligned to existing realities on the ground,” the petition states.

However, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Secretary General Akelo Misori has dismissed the proposal to restructure Junior School as “pedestrian thinking.”

He argues that it amounts to a quiet return to the old 8-4-4 education system, which he says had already proven impractical.

Misori says splitting Junior School and pushing learners back into primary schools for eight years is not reform, but regression.

“This is basically taking us back to the old system, which is impractical and out of step with modern education needs,” Misori said.

The Kuppet boss says the reason Kenya moved away from the old system was to help learners discover their interests early, rather than delaying key decisions until later years.

“What has been done is a lot of work to introduce learners to developing their skills and interests,” he said.

Misori insists that the challenges facing Junior School should not be solved by restructuring the system, but by fixing gaps in implementation.

“The problem at Junior School can be addressed by improving infrastructure and ensuring there are enough specialised teachers. We can improve infrastructure, we can improve teacher deployment, but we cannot go back to the old system,” Misori said.

But the petition argues that splitting junior secondary would ease congestion in primary schools while allowing older learners to access better-equipped secondary school facilities.

The petitioners argue that the change would restore clarity in the education pathway, which they say has been blurred by the CBC rollout.

“There is confusion among parents, learners and even educators on where Junior School begins and ends, and which institutions are best placed to deliver it,” the document notes.

Also proposed for change is a review of the content taught in Junior School, limiting it to material considered suitable for primary school learners.

According to the petition, the current Junior School curriculum is too demanding for institutions that were designed to handle basic education.

Under the plan, Junior School teachers would also be moved to Senior Secondary School, where the finalist class would be hosted. 

The remaining two Junior School classes in primary schools would then be handled by primary school teachers.

The petitioners argue that this would help address the current teacher mismatch, where instructors trained for secondary education are deployed in primary schools, while some learners are taught by teachers without subject specialisation.

“The redeployment of teachers in line with institutional capacity will ensure effective curriculum delivery and optimal utilisation of trained personnel,” the petition states.

Kenya National Union of Teachers(KNUT) Secretary General Collins Oyuu has said that the current set-up of the Competency-Based Curriculum was formulated through public participation and reflects people’s wishes.

“It is within anyone’s rights to make a petition, but that process has to be presented before the people for any changes in the education system to be made,” Oyuu said.