Act to avert chaos in Grade 9 JSS rollout

The difficulties experienced since the introduction of junior secondary school early last year are some of the key obstacles in the transition from the 8-4-4 education system to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). However, there is no going back as the potential benefits from the new system are superior.

It was in an effort to redress the glaring shortcomings in the old system that the government saw the necessity for the changeover. Unlike the 8-4-4 system, with its emphasis merely on academic qualifications, the CBC is focused on the learning and mastery of employable skills.

However, the impending Grade 9 roll-out next year is going to be rather chaotic for a majority of the schools countrywide. The government is racing against time to get the required infrastructure in place ahead of next January, when the pioneer CBC class graduates to Grade 9.

With only a few months to go before the new academic year starts, uncertainty surrounds the roll-out with questions over the government’s preparedness. The greatest irony in the transition is the glaring shortages in the junior section and the abundance of facilities that will not be used as the secondary schools will only have the current Forms 1, 2 and 3 students.

Junior school remains domiciled in the primary schools, necessitating the expansion of infrastructure against tight deadlines. New Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba is confident that the funds allocated through the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) will be quickly disbursed.

The pioneer JSS continues to grapple with teething problems. Besides inadequate facilities, including classrooms, there is also a shortage of teachers. Even trickier has been the deployment of teachers who specialised in only one subject to handle classes on what they had not been prepared for.

It is important that all these issues are seriously addressed to enable a proper transition and enhance CBC reforms.