President William Ruto has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to overhauling Kenya’s education system, describing the ongoing transformation as the most significant shift in over six decades.
Speaking during the Madaraka Day celebrations, the President said the reforms, guided by the bold recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform, mark a decisive move from rote learning to a Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
“Our goal is not just access to education, but quality education that empowers and transforms,” President Ruto said.
To support the rollout of CBC and meet the demands of a growing student population, the government has recruited 76,000 new teachers in just two years; the largest teacher recruitment drive since independence and targets an additional 24,000 teachers by January next year.
The infrastructure gap has also received attention, with over 23,000 new classrooms built across the country to reduce overcrowding and enhance the learning environment.
At the tertiary level, the President highlighted a radical shift in education financing, where the new student-centered funding model now ensures that students from poor families receive up to 90% government scholarship, easing the burden on parents.
The government is also ramping up investment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TIVET) to address youth unemployment, skills gaps, and poverty.
Enrollment in TIVET colleges is expected to rise from 500,000 to 2 million by the end of the year, positioning technical training as the backbone of Kenya’s industrialization and innovation agenda.
“These reforms are not just about schools — they are about securing Kenya’s future,” the President concluded.
