Parents and residents in Kericho and surrounding areas say Kenya’s changing education system is giving children clearer career direction while expanding access to practical and technical skills.
The residents said the shift from the former 8-4-4 system to Competency-Based Education (CBE), alongside the expansion of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), is creating opportunities for learners to identify their interests early and acquire skills that can support employment and self-reliance.
Sammy Silim, a parent and farmer from Sorwot, said his view of education has been shaped by the experiences of his six children.
Silim, who went through the 8-4-4 system, said his children have progressed further, with some joining colleges, demonstrating how education can continue opening opportunities for families.
He said the current education system differs from the one he experienced because learners are guided from an early stage based on their interests, talents and preferred careers.
According to Silim, supporting children in areas they enjoy makes education more meaningful because schooling is no longer viewed solely as a route to formal employment.
Instead, he said, learners can use education to develop skills that will remain useful in the future.
Silim also credited TVET with providing an alternative route for learners who may not proceed directly to university.
He said technical institutions give such learners an opportunity to acquire practical skills, while calling for parents to receive guidance on how to identify their children’s talents at home and help them develop those abilities from an early age.
The farmer said the government was also contributing to the transformation through the recruitment of more teachers and improvements in school infrastructure, including classrooms and other learning facilities.
He said adequate staffing was particularly important because teachers would be able to give learners better attention if every class had enough instructors, helping CBE achieve its intended objectives.
For Silim, farming has become his “office” and the source of income that enables him to support his family and educate his six children.
He said continued hard work by parents, coupled with government investment in teachers, infrastructure and learning materials, would help create a stronger future for education.
Polytechnic brings technical training closer
In Chepseon, residents said the expansion of technical institutions has also made skills training more accessible to young people.
Collins Kibet, a Chepseon resident, said Chepseon Polytechnic had reduced the distance learners previously had to travel to access technical education.
He said students can now walk to the institution or spend less on motorcycle transport, unlike in the past when those seeking polytechnic training often had to travel to places such as Kericho or Londiani.
Kibet said the institution is helping young people acquire practical skills, including computer studies, welding and other technical courses.
He said the institution was particularly important for learners who may not have proceeded to secondary school, giving them another opportunity to develop skills and pursue areas that interest them.
The improved access, he said, represents a major change from the past when transport costs and long distances prevented some learners from pursuing technical education.
Kibet called for the establishment of more polytechnics, noting that Chepseon Polytechnic already has a large student population and would benefit from additional support to expand access to technical training.
Early learning helps identify strengths
Christine Koech, a trader from Chepseon, said the current education system gives children an opportunity to develop progressively from an early age.
She said children begin learning to read and write from baby class, allowing them to build their abilities step by step as they advance through school.
Koech said this early development helps learners understand their strengths and, as they progress, select pathways and courses that can support their future.
She said the pathways enable learners to develop according to the skills they possess and prepare for the world of work.
According to Koech, the system is different from the past, when some children struggled with reading and learning.
She said today’s learners are also being prepared to create opportunities for themselves rather than depending entirely on formal employment after completing school.
Parent sees early career direction
Betty Waheto, a trader from Kericho County and parent of learners in Grades 6 and 9, said CBE is helping children develop an understanding of their future careers at an earlier stage.
She contrasted this with the previous system, where learners studied numerous subjects without necessarily having a clear idea of the careers they were preparing for.
Waheto said her own child has already expressed an ambition to become a doctor and is concentrating on sciences.
She believes such early direction will make it easier for learners to move from education into employment because they will understand what they have been trained for and the direction they want to take.
Waheto said CBE had placed Kenya on a better path compared with the past, when some people completed school without a clear understanding of what their education had prepared them to do.
She believes the next generation will be better equipped because learners are receiving guidance from an early stage and studying with a clearer purpose.
Naomi Chepkemoi, another parent from Kericho County, said CBE is helping learners identify potential careers earlier rather than waiting until after Form Four to decide what they want to pursue.
Her child is in Grade 10, and she said her experience with the pioneer CBE cohort shows that learners are now selecting pathways based on their interests and future ambitions instead of taking subjects that may have little relevance to their eventual careers.
Chepkemoi urged the government to continue supporting the system by providing books, learning materials and other resources required for effective implementation.
She said one of the strengths of CBE is its practical approach, noting that learners are exposed to skills such as computer studies from an early age.
This, she said, differs from the past, when many learners only encountered computers after completing Form Four.
Chepkemoi believes practical learning will equip children with useful skills, improve their preparedness for employment and enable them to compete with learners from countries where similar education systems have already been adopted.
She described CBE as the right direction because it allows learners to concentrate on areas where they have strengths and reduces the challenge of studying without a clear career path.
Technical college creates local opportunities
Benson Shitakwa said Kericho Township Technical and Vocational College has similarly helped bring skills training closer to young people.
He said before the institution was established, some parents faced difficulties because the nearest technical college was far away.
Families therefore had to meet both transport and course costs, while some parents could not afford to send their children to larger universities.
Shitakwa said the technical college’s central location has made it accessible to learners from villages, the town and surrounding areas.
The institution offers diploma, certificate and craft courses, providing young people with practical skills that can improve their employment prospects and create opportunities within the community.
He said the college was also contributing to literacy and skills development among young people.
Before its establishment, Shitakwa said, many young people remained idle in estates because they lacked accessible opportunities for further training.
He called for the establishment of more technical colleges and expansion of courses so that more young people can acquire practical skills, continue with their education and improve their prospects.
The views from the parents, traders and residents point to a broader shift in how communities are approaching education — from a system primarily associated with academic progression and formal employment towards one that places greater emphasis on identifying individual talents, acquiring practical skills and preparing learners for both employment and entrepreneurship.
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