A draft report of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) has recommended classification of schools be discontinued.
If the recommendations are adopted, the country will no longer have national schools, extra county schools, county schools and sub-county schools.
The team has suggested that schools be classified based on career pathways of science, technology social science, arts and sports, engineering and mathematics.
Kenyan secondary schools are divided into four main categories/tiers based on their staffing, infrastructural development, and diversity of student enrolment.
The four categories are national schools, extra county schools, county schools, and sub-county schools.
The Working Party believes the new classification will enhance equity, inclusion and fair allocation of resources.
National schools are centres of educational excellence established for the purposes of stimulating education standards and fostering national unity and social cohesion.
These are boarding schools whose catchment is 100 per cent national. Currently, there are 103 national schools
Extra-county schools are boarding schools that are the second-tier national centres of educational excellence. Currently, there are 328 extra-county schools.
County schools are boarding secondary schools in the county other than national and extra-county schools.
Sub-county schools are basically day schools, all new boarding schools and boarding schools with day wings.
President William Ruto, in a gazette No. 11920 of September 30, 2022, appointed a Presidential Working Party on Education Reform in Kenya.
The team is seeking views from the public and other sector stakeholders to inform its terms of reference with respect to reform of the education sector in Kenya.
The Working Party is open to receiving views from individuals, public and private institutions and all other interested parties.
The team further proposes that the government establishes low-cost primary boarding schools in areas considered to be marginalised.
The team goes on to urge the government to improve infrastructure in sub-county schools.
Most sub-county schools are grappling with poor infrastructure and a shortage of facilities.