The Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI) has launched a nationwide virtual programme to strengthen career guidance in junior schools by training 21,493 Heads of Institutions (HOIs). Delivered under the Kenya Primary Education Equity in Learning (KPEEL) programme, the two-day sessions aim to equip school leaders to support Grade 7–9 learners with senior school pathways, subject choices and practical guidance under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Key Takeaways
- KEMI is training 21,493 Heads of Institutions across Kenya in a national virtual programme.
- The training supports career guidance, senior school pathways and subject selection for Grades 7–9.
- Programme complements earlier teacher training that reached nearly 43,000 junior school career teachers.
- Training is delivered in five cohorts and wraps up on 2 October 2026 to ensure quality and feedback-driven improvements.
Why this career guidance training matters
The move to strengthen career guidance targets a critical decision point: Grade 9 learners must select a senior school pathway—Arts and Sports Science, Social Sciences, or STEM—that shapes their senior secondary studies and future careers. Many learners and parents are unfamiliar with these choices under the CBC, increasing the risk of poor or pressure-driven decisions. Training HOIs ensures leadership understands and supports school-level career guidance activities.
Programme scale and design
The initiative follows a teacher-focused phase that trained nominated junior school career teachers across all 47 counties. KEMI’s current phase is intentionally large and coordinated: it targets 21,493 junior schools and their leaders, and complements the earlier work that reached 42,986 career teachers. Delivering the training virtually in five cohorts lets KEMI manage engagement quality and incorporate feedback between sessions.
What Heads of Institutions will learn
HOIs receive practical guidance on how to:
- Integrate career guidance into timetables and school plans.
- Support teachers with resources and approved parent engagement activities.
- Use learner-friendly IEC materials and career assessment tools to guide subject combinations and pathway choices.
- Leverage simple digital resources for continuous guidance beyond the training.
Multi-agency approach and alignment with national policy
The training is implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). This multi-agency setup helps align the programme with national CBC priorities and teacher management systems, ensuring trained leaders and teachers are supported within formal frameworks. The joint structure also aims to avoid the fragmented rollouts that have slowed past reforms.
Delivery method: virtual, cohort-based, and feedback-driven
Delivering the training virtually reduces travel and accommodation costs while enabling interactive sessions for thousands of participants. The cohort model keeps group sizes manageable, allows facilitators to refine content between runs, and helps reach schools in both urban and remote areas without disrupting the school calendar.
Resources and sustainability
The programme provides reusable resources designed for ongoing school use: Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials, career assessment tools, and digital content that teachers, leaders and parents can access after the sessions. These tools are meant to sustain career guidance practices and support informed, interest- and ability-based decisions for learners over time.
How schools can prepare and follow up
To maximise impact, HOIs should:
- Schedule follow-up meetings with career teachers to review tools and plan parent engagements.
- Share IEC materials with parents and learners and set simple assessment routines for pathway counselling.
- Link school plans to senior school curriculum options and use available resources to support subject selection.
Where to find supporting CBC resources
Schools and teachers preparing learners for pathway choices can access curriculum and exam resources to support planning and assessment. Useful materials include CBC curriculum designs and practical tools for senior-school planning such as senior school curriculum designs. For practice exams and revision resources that align with pathways and subject choices, see the free Grade 10 exams.
Next steps and expected outcomes
The virtual training for HOIs is scheduled to conclude on 2 October 2026. When complete, the programme should strengthen how schools guide career and subject choices, increase meaningful parent engagement, and improve alignment between school leadership and classroom career guidance activities. The ultimate goal is better-informed learners choosing pathways that match their interests and abilities under the CBC.
