among others.

The word out there is that this second generation has continued the legacy of
pioneer scholars. These scholars were also part of the 7-4-2-3 system and their backgrounds
show mixed results on which secondary schools they attended, with a large percentage attending
provincial and national schools. There were very few students from private schools joining
university and majority of students had attended public schools in Kenya.
The number of students who had attended private academies joining university increased
significantly during the 8-4-4 system. Many of them had been taken to private schools in order to
get places in good high schools, mainly national schools. The problem was that private
academies promoted rote learning and preparation for exams and students had very little time to
play and socialize and the energy came out in high school and university where they vented their
anger of lack of play in primary school through burning down of schools and organizing many
strikes in high schools and university.
The argument is that the 8-4-4 generation did not do much to fill the academic lacuna in
the country and few of them have been able to scale the academic landscape except a few of
them such as Moses Oketch, Godwin Murunga, Tom M Mboya, Linnet Hamasi, Joy Omwoha,
Lydiah Anyonje, Janet Kassily, Julia Situma, Caroline Ayuma Okelo, Paul Mwania, Magdalene
Ndeto Bore, among others. The accusation has been in the realm of intellectual production which
was regarded as less rigorous. The 8-4-4 system of education was accused of burdening learners
and reducing play time. The system was associated with massive discipline problems where
students burnt down schools, beat up and killed fellow students and teachers and was known for
endemic burning of schools and strikes. The system was blamed for breakdown of discipline.
Data from universities has revealed many gaps in performance of candidates who
attended private academies compared to those who attended public schools at primary and
secondary school level. The performance of students who attended public schools at primary and
secondary school level is stable and better. The performance of students who attended private
academies at primary school and went through national schools is mixed bag, with some doing
well while others are never able to adjust at university having developed cheating habits and
heavy dependence on tuition and coaching.

8.0. Potential in the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) and its

implications for stability of education sector in Kenya.

Scholars have identified some strengths of competency based curriculum (CBC) compared to
other forms of curricula. If any person gets a chance to have an experiential view of CBC, they
cannot look back and shout about how stakeholders were not consulted and how some stages
were skipped in implementation. A good thing is just good and there are no two ways about it.
CBC is flexible, self-paced, engaging, and affordable, skills based, avoids unhealthy competition
for spaces in primary and secondary schools, is equitable and egalitarian and sensitive to cultural
and social environments, reduces drop out or attrition, and eliminates dictatorship. Scholars have
identified a number of strengths in the competency-based learning approach which Kenya hopes
will accompany its implementation which started in 2017. Competency based curricula are
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