School heads converge to chart future of quality education

TSC Commissioner Antonina Lentoijoni leads teachers for tree planting ahead of the World Teachers Day on October 2, 2026. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

Primary school heads across the country will converge next week for a four-day conference to deliberate on persistent challenges affecting the delivery of quality education and chart a path towards building future-ready comprehensive schools.

The meeting, organised by the Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KECSHA), will bring together school leaders, teachers’ unions, government agencies, employers, parents’ associations, development partners and financial institutions to explore practical solutions to the challenges confronting the education sector.

According to KECSHA chairman Fuad Ali said the discussions will focus on inadequate school funding, teacher welfare, staffing shortages, growing administrative responsibilities, infrastructure deficits and the implementation challenges associated with the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.

The conference will seek to reimagine the comprehensive  school of the future by strengthening leadership, promoting inclusive learning environments and equipping learners with the knowledge, skills and values required for national development.

The gathering comes at a time when schools are under increasing pressure to deliver quality learning while adapting to curriculum reforms, changing learner needs and rising expectations from parents and the government.

Fuad noted that school heads are expected to examine how education institutions can move beyond traditional approaches to teaching and management to become inclusive, innovative and responsive to the needs of every learner.

“A central question guiding the deliberations will be how leadership, partnerships and policy interventions can transform schools into institutions that prepare children for an increasingly competitive and technology-driven world,” he said.

School heads during the national conference in Mombasa 2025. [File]

“Leading the transformation to build a future-ready comprehensive school for national development” will underpin discussions on the leadership and policy decisions required to sustain reforms and improve learning outcomes.

The conference will also examine the changing expectations of school leadership, with emphasis on professionalism, accountability, effective resource management and collaboration among education stakeholders.

Teacher welfare is expected to feature prominently, with participants examining how working conditions, motivation, professional development and adequate staffing influence classroom performance.

Schools have continued to grapple with teacher shortages in various areas, placing additional pressure on existing personnel and complicating efforts to provide individualised support to learners under the competency-based curriculum.

The shortage has also heightened the importance of equitable teacher distribution, effective recruitment and the deployment of educators according to schools’ actual needs.

Stakeholders are expected to discuss ways of strengthening professional support, improving working conditions and ensuring that teachers have the resources and training necessary to implement curriculum reforms effectively.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will be central to discussions on strengthening the teaching profession, with leadership, professionalism and quality education expected to feature in deliberations on the future of the sector.

The meeting will also address the growing administrative demands placed on headteachers, who must balance instructional leadership with financial management, reporting requirements, staff supervision and engagement with parents and communities.

Participants are expected to explore how stronger education management systems, streamlined reporting and appropriate digital tools can reduce unnecessary administrative burdens and allow school leaders to devote more time to teaching and learning.

Financing will be another major concern, particularly as schools seek to provide adequate learning materials, improve infrastructure and accommodate the needs of expanding learner populations.

The conference will examine the role of government investment, financial institutions, development partners and communities in securing sustainable funding for schools.

Discussions on investing in the school of the future will seek to establish how available resources can be used more efficiently while encouraging partnerships that complement public financing without compromising equitable access to education.

Infrastructure and the learning environment will also come under scrutiny. Participants will consider the need for adequate classrooms, sanitation facilities, safe school grounds, accessible buildings and reliable digital infrastructure.

The agenda will further explore school feeding programmes as an important intervention for learner welfare, equity and academic performance.

The discussions will recognise that hunger, poor nutrition and socioeconomic disadvantages can undermine attendance, concentration and educational achievement, particularly among vulnerable learners.

Inclusion will be another major pillar of the meeting, with stakeholders examining how schools can better support learners with disabilities, children from disadvantaged backgrounds and refugee communities.

Sessions on gender-responsive leadership, learner support systems and refugee teacher inclusion will explore ways of removing barriers to participation and ensuring that schools respond to learners’ different circumstances and abilities.

The conference will also address mental health, foundational learning and the transition of learners between educational pathways, acknowledging that academic achievement depends on both effective teaching and adequate social and emotional support.

Education experts will examine how schools can strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy, rethink assessment under CBE and promote STEM education, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Discussions on technology and emerging skills will consider how artificial intelligence, digital learning and innovative teaching approaches can prepare learners for future opportunities while ensuring that technological advances do not deepen inequalities between schools.

Participants will also examine the importance of values-based education in nurturing responsible, resilient and ethical citizens.

The forum will also provide an opportunity to assess the progress of CBE, identify implementation gaps and share lessons from schools that have developed effective responses to emerging challenges.