Private Schools, Parents,KNUT Support the New Grading System
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has endorsed the implementation of a new grading system. The Secretary General of Knut, Collins Oyuu, stressed that the current strict approach to marking and assessing pupils has resulted in empty college seats.
Oyuu stated that rigid grading and admission requirements have made enrolling students in specialized universities, particularly teaching colleges, difficult. He emphasized that the new ideology intends to include the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) into the current 8-4-4 curriculum.
Oyuu also emphasized the necessity of recalling why the 8-4-4 method was abandoned, which had flaws at each stage. Students who did not pass Class Eight were left behind, and the practice continued in Form Four, resulting in university graduates who lacked key skills.
On a side note, the Chairman of the National Parents Association, Silas Obuhatsa, stated that these changes should have been introduced for this year’s KCPE examinations. He argued that instead of all five subjects, candidates should be rated in only three.
While they supported the improvements, they hoped that they would be extended to the KCPE exam, which would aid many students who were at risk of failing this important test.
According to Professor Stephen Mbugua, Chairman of the Kenya Association of Private Universities, this action will boost access to higher education and enrollment in these institutions. He added that private university enrollment has declined since the implementation of a new university financing model that limited access to government-funded students.
Mbugua stated that an increase in the number of pupils qualifying for university entrance would likely raise enrolment in both private and public universities, which is especially important given the decline in private university enrollment.
An education expert, Paul Wanjohi, also weighed in on the reforms, arguing that this model should have been implemented years ago because it corresponds with the new curriculum’s goals of developing each learner’s potential.
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