We Will No Longer Have Boarding Schools Under CBC- Task Force Recommends Phasing Out Of Boarding Schools
Numerous changes are expected to hit the education sector more especially in secondary schools as taskforce recommend phasing out of some boarding schools to day schools upon transition of the Competency-Based Curriculum to junior secondary in 2023.
In the recent report, the taskforce recommend CBC learners to attend day schools that are within one or two kilometres in rural areas from their former primary schools for junior secondary in the new curriculum.
The report is titled, “Report of the Taskforce on enhancing access, relevance, transition, equity and quality for effective curriculum reforms implementation”.
The pioneer class of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) will join Junior secondary school in 2023.
The report suggests a pool system that will see a day secondary school absorb learners from several primary schools within the vicinity.
The taskforce report has borrowed from success stories from Shanghai China through an initiative termed “Neighbourhood Attendance”.
According to the Shanghai, the China “Neighborhood attendance” initiative, learners attend their local neighbouring schools rather than scramble for limited spaces at key schools.
This initiative is based on multiple benefits associated with day-schooling as opposed to boarding schools including a reduction in education costs for households, expansion of access, narrowing the gender gap and minimizing wastage.
Further the report reveals that day-schooling promotes parental engagement and involvement in their children’s learning and development.
Education stakeholders have in the recent past suggested that under-utilised primary facilities could be used to learners in junior secondary schools.
In implemented, the proposals will see several boarding schools phases out to allow the use of the facilities that will be left vacant such as dormitories reorganized to classes.
Lead by Fatuma Chege the taskforce further recommended education county directors to map out day secondary schools and primary schools surrounding them in their jurisdiction to guide the placement and transition of learners to junior secondary school.
The report also proposes levelling up of learning institutions with lesser infrastructure to make them at par with those that are well equipped so as to ensure that no school is considered superior to another.
Finally, the report recommends the need for inclusive education, through incorporating special needs learners in a normal classroom set-up.
