They argued that the teaching of Christian Religious Education and Islamic Religious Education was not enough. They expressed concern children as young as nine indulge in drug and alcohol abuse. "We should retain the 8-4-4 system and improve it. We cannot waste Sh340 billion and say we have a new system. Resources matter," argued Kuppet Vice-Chairman Julius Korir.
He said education stakeholders should not agree to phase out the 8-4-4 system of education.
Knut senior executive officer Ekirapa Okwara explained the giant union recommends the improvement of 8-4-4 system and employment of more teachers.
"We have a shortage of 80,000 teachers. We will need an equivalent number in secondary schools," Mr Okwara said.
He said the Sh340 billion needed to implement the new system should be used in employment of more teachers. "Let us maintain the structure. We recommend that the money goes to the employment of teachers, teacher education, and infrastructure," Okwara said.
KSSA chairman Cleophas Tirop also said the 8-4-4 system of education should remain. "Let us fix the gaps and challenges and make it work," he said.
"Majority want the 8-4-4 system, but they want it enriched," concluded the chairman of a panel on structure and curriculum of education system Muriuki Njeru.
Fifty-five participants voted that the system be retained, while only 17 wanted the implementation of the proposed system while a few abstained.
Speakers at the forum said the Government should include early childhood education without having to change the 8-4-4 system of education.
The Task Force, which had collected public views from across the country, had concluded that numerical titles such as 8-4-4 failed to indicate what the education system represents.
"The new system should therefore focus on childhood development, skills and competencies to be learnt at each level from Early Childhood Care and Development to University," it recommends.
The Task Force had proposed a system where there would be Pre-Primary, Lower Primary, Upper Primary, Junior Secondary, and Senior Secondary as pre-university education stages.
