The proposed new education system is set to end the long running KCPE and KCSE national exams.
Instead, the new system will be competency-based and will give more emphasis on identification of talents and nurturing them. National exams will be replaced with continuous assessment tests.
The new system is crafted around three levels — early, middle and senior schools.
Learners will take two years in early childhood education, three in lower primary, three in upper primary, three in lower secondary and three in senior secondary.
Pupils will join pre-primary at the ages of four and five followed by lower primary at between six and nine years.
Middle school will comprise upper primary and junior school while graduates of junior school will branch out to either senior school, tertiary or higher education depending on their competencies.
They will also have the option of joining talent schools, general education on technical and vocational skills or basic education and training.
The system gives students in secondary school a chance to specialise in the subjects they wish to pursue in tertiary institutions and learning areas have been divided into three categories: arts and sports, social sciences and science and technology, engineering and mathematics.
Under sports, students will pursue games, performing arts and visual arts while social science options will be languages and literature, humanities and business studies.
The third option will have pure and applied sciences, engineering and technical studies.
Subjects to be taught in lower primary will include literacy, Kiswahili, English and indigenous languages, as well as mathematical and environmental activities (science, social and agriculture activities).
In upper primary, pupils will be taught Kiswahili, English, home science, agriculture, science and technology, mathematics, religious studies, moral and life skills, creative arts (art, craft and music), physical and health education, social studies (citizenship, geography and history) with an option of foreign languages (Arabic, French, German, Chinese) and indigenous languages.
At junior secondary, a learner will be required to take the 12 core subjects — including English, Kiswahili, mathematics, integrated science, health education, pre-technical and pre-vocational education, social studies, religious education, business studies, agriculture, life skills education, sports and physical education.
They will also take a minimum of one and a maximum of two subjects according to personalities, abilities, interests and career choices.
The optional subjects are home science, computer science, performing arts, foreign languages, Kenya Sign Language, indigenous languages and visual arts.
In senior secondary, a student will take two core subjects irrespective of the pathway identified.
They include community service learning (life skills, citizenship, entrepreneurship, financial literacy and research) and physical education.
