How CBE compliance gave private schools an edge in KJSEA

Brenda Makena of St Philip Neri, Joska who scored 72 points in this year’s KJSEA examinations, speaks to the press in an interview. [Erastus Mulwa,Standard]

Several private academies that posted impressive results in the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA), released on Thursday, have attributed their success to consistency and strict adherence to Competency-Based Education (CBE) protocols.

An analysis of selected institutions points to strong alignment with CBE requirements and a culture of excellence, factors that appear to have widened the performance gap between private and public schools in Machakos County.

At St Philip Neri Junior School in Joska, Machakos County, 38 of the 74 candidates who sat the national assessment attained Exceeding Expectation (EE 1 and 2), while another 30 achieved Meeting Expectation (ME). Only six candidates were ranked as Approaching Expectation (AE).

The school’s head teacher, Andrew Mwangi, said the strong performance was the result of early and strict compliance with the CBE system.

“These results did not come by chance. We achieved them because we got it right from the start. We complied with the established guidelines on teaching methodology, delivered the right content and implemented the curriculum design to the letter,” Mwangi told The Standard.

He noted that, unlike the former 8-4-4 system, which largely tested memory, CBE is learner-centred and focuses on hands-on skills and practical problem-solving.

“There was no guesswork on our part. We knew exactly what we were doing. We were ready for CBE in terms of infrastructure, laboratories, textbooks, ICT integration, and a highly qualified and motivated teaching force that understood its role,” he said.

One of the top candidates, Brenda Makena, who scored straight Exceeding Expectation (EE1) with 72 points, said she hoped to join Kenya High School and pursue the STEM pathway.

“My dream school is Kenya High, where I hope to focus on my ambition of pursuing biomedicine and technology,” said Brenda.

At Kyandu Bright Academy, which registered 84 candidates, 24 scored over 70 points, with two attaining straight EE1.

“In simple terms, all our candidates passed the assessment. Apart from the 24 who scored over 70 points, the rest achieved Meeting Expectation,” said the school director, Timothy Kimolo.

Kimolo said the CBE system had transformed teaching and learner engagement, a culture he said had been embedded at the school over time.

“CBE is a different ball game. It emphasises learners’ practical abilities, which must be developed through structured knowledge transfer, with a strong focus on conceptual understanding rather than memorisation,” he said.

At Jonazaria Academy in Kathiani, 23 of the 26 candidates who sat the assessment attained Exceeding Expectation, while three achieved Meeting Expectation.

Top performers included Bradwell Baraka (70 points), Trevor Gift (69), Julie Mbithe (69) and Purity Muthama (69).

“Our success did not come on a silver platter. We deliberately aligned our teaching and learner management with the CBE system, ensuring every aspect of instruction was done correctly,” said the institution’s director, James Musyoki.

“We are hopeful they will join good senior schools and pursue career paths of their choice.”

Machakos County Kuppet deputy secretary general Martin Mutisya attributed the performance gap between private and public schools to challenges in the work environment, including a mismatch between teachers’ qualifications and subjects taught.

“Many teachers are forced to teach subjects they are not trained in, and in most public schools there are inadequate facilities such as laboratories and libraries,” he said.