Don’t force children into career paths under CBE, parents urged

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Parents should allow their children to choose their own career pathways under the Competency-Based Education system instead of imposing preferences on them, a school head has said.

Bhadala Educational Complex headteacher Joyce Aswani said forcing learners into predetermined paths only confuses them, noting that CBE is designed to nurture individual talents and competencies holistically.

“With CBE, the learner is moulded to bring out the best in whatever field they are gifted in—sports, arts or academics. There is no losing in CBE,” she said.

“That is why a child should be allowed to decide on the career path they are most comfortable with.”

Aswani spoke during a ceremony held at the school to honour top-performing students from the junior secondary section following the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) results.

She encouraged parents to accept their children’s results, saying CBE has personalised learning and shifted focus from grades to competencies and skills.

“A child might score Below Expectation (BE), but that does not mean they cannot succeed in life. Maybe academically the child struggles, but they may have talents and skills that can still make them outstanding members of society,” Aswani said.

She said BE should not be viewed as a death sentence, urging parents to mentor their children and support their transition to the next level.

Aswani said many parents are still confused by the new KJSEA grading system, calling for more sensitisation.

“Some parents do not understand rankings like EE1, EE2 or BE. They associate an ‘E’ with failure as it was in the 8-4-4 system, yet CBE measures competency, not failure,” she said.

She said Bhadala Senior School offers all three CBE pathways—STEM, Social Sciences and Arts—and has been approved to offer eight subjects, including biology, chemistry, mathematics, business studies, geography, English, Kiswahili, IRE and Arabic.

Bhadala’s Sajid Esmail said the school was proud of the pioneer KJSEA class.

“The performance reflects dedication, discipline and teamwork among teachers, parents, students and the administration. We remain committed to shaping future leaders,” he said.

The school currently has 256 junior secondary students and expects to enrol about 180 learners in senior secondary, with two streams planned.

Aswani said transitioning to CBE had not been easy, as everything was new for both teachers and learners, but attributed the success to prudent management by the Bhadala Education Board, chaired by Imtiaz Sayani.

She said the Bhadala Comprehensive Complex has adequate facilities to support CBE, making it one of the leading institutions in Mombasa.

Among the top performers was Abdalla Mehboob, who scored Exceeding Expectation 2 (EE2) with 65 points and plans to pursue the STEM pathway.

He hopes to study medicine but is also open to careers in accounts and business.

“I chose my subjects on my own. I took advice from teachers, parents and friends, but the final decision was mine,” Mehboob said.

Yahya Anwar, who scored Meeting Expectation 2 (ME2) with 59 points, also chose the STEM pathway and aspires to become a software engineer.

“You determine your future by taking control of it. You must be the decision-maker,” Anwar said.

Kenar Rashid said she surprised herself with her results and now hopes to pursue medicine.

“I didn’t expect to pass, but God showed me that I can do better than I think,” she said.

Instant analysis

The CBE system is redefining success by shifting focus from exam scores to competencies, skills and individual strengths. Educationists argue that for the system to work effectively, parents must abandon grade-centred thinking and allow learners to identify and pursue their own talents, with guidance rather than pressure from adults.