17/09/2025
The Joy of Junior Secondary Learners
Step into a junior secondary classroom today, and you will encounter something remarkable.The atmosphere is alive. Children are smiling, asking questions, and working in groups. They are creating projects that blend imagination with practicalityâwhether itâs designing simple machines, staging plays that teach values, or solving real-life community problems.
These children are not just learning; they are thriving. They are not just being taught; they are being inspired. And in their laughter, creativity, and energy, there is a powerful message for all of us: learning can be joyful, purposeful, and transformative.
There is a sense of freedom in how they learn. A child who might have been labeled âweakâ in the old system shines brightly when given the chance to create with their hands. Another who once feared the red marks of failure now confidently shares ideas with classmates. This joy, this newfound confidence, is what makes CBE special.
After finishing university, I honestly thought I would find it difficult to teach these learners. I expected resistance, or perhaps a lack of seriousness. But guess what? I was wrong. These learners have turned out to be the best group I will always prefer to teach. Their laughter, their dances, and their pure joy have completely changed my perspective. Every day in their classroom is not just about teachingâitâs about being inspired by their energy and reminded why education is such a powerful calling.
The learners themselves are a testimony that education, when done right, is not a burden but a celebration. Their happiness is not just about the fun of new methods; it is about discovering their potential and realizing that they matterânot just as exam candidates, but as whole human beings.
A New Dawn in Kenyan Education
For many years, the Kenyan education system was dominated by an exam-centered approach. Students often carried the weight of pressure, fear, and endless cramming on their young shoulders. Success was measured by grades on a paper rather than by the skills, values, and creativity nurtured within.
Then came the bold shift: the Competency-Based Education system. Unlike the old system, CBE places the learner at the center. It emphasizes practical skills, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and values that prepare learners for real life, not just for passing exams.
Junior secondary schools, the first beneficiaries of this transformation, have become beacons of possibility. They are filled with children who are exploring science not as a list of facts to memorize, but as an exciting adventure of experiments and discoveries. Learners are dancing, drawing, building, and innovatingâall while developing the kind of resilience and teamwork that the future demands.
The Joy of Junior Secondary Learners
Step into a junior secondary classroom today, and you will encounter something remarkable. The atmosphere is alive. Children are smiling, asking questions, and working in groups. They are creating projects that blend imagination with practicalityâwhether itâs designing simple machines, staging plays that teach values, or solving real-life community problems.
There is a sense of freedom in how they learn. A child who might have been labeled âweakâ in the old system shines brightly when given the chance to create with their hands. Another who once feared the red marks of failure now confidently shares ideas with classmates. This joy, this newfound confidence, is what makes CBE special.
The learners themselves are a testimony that education, when done right, is not a burden but a celebration. Their happiness is not just about the fun of new methods; it is about discovering their potential and realizing that they matterânot just as exam candidates, but as whole human beings.