The 8-4-4 System: Unraveling Genesis and Shortcomings of 39-Year-Old Education System
Mr. Ezekiel Machogu, Cabinet Secretary for Education, released the results for the final cohort of the 8-4-4 primary school education system on Thursday. After thirty-nine fruitful years, a curriculum has had its curtain drawn.
In thirty-nine cohorts, more than twenty-six million students traversed the retired education system. Undoubtedly, its influence extended beyond national boundaries when the emerging State of Southern Sudan administered it as its national examination from 2005 to 2008.
103,000 non-citizens took the KCPE this year. Additionally, Mr. Machogu has pledged to ensure that the government administers a special examination to the approximately 9,354 students who registered but failed the final KCPE examination in January 2024.
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The Formal Education
Formal education is a structured mode of instruction designed to impart individuals with knowledge, abilities, and attitudes. An attempt to evaluate the 8-4-4 educational system in light of this convergence would be somewhat pessimistic.
Numerous critics affirm that the 8-4-4 system of education not only imparted knowledge to a considerable number of students but also equipped many others with valuable skills, but the term “self-sufficiency” was hardly applicable to its products during its existence, as it remained largely illusory.
The corrupt cartels ultimately obtained the 8-4-4 system, which further compounded its deficiencies. As soon as the cartels realized that high grades were the only thing that mattered in the retired education system, they commenced operations.
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Buyers were vying to acquire the most suitable outcomes for their educational institutions or their offspring. Sick of merit-based admission requirements and plagued annually by controversies involving exam cheating at specific institutions, the outdated system appeared to have no future. An element that remains with the system until its demise.
The Genesis of the 8-4-4 educational system
The colonial legacy established it, and the Moi administration later modified it to introduce a system of education tailored to Kenya’s specific needs, aiming to equip its graduates with the skills necessary for self-sufficiency.
In 1981, a Presidential Working Party undertook the task of reforming the entire education system in the country by examining the local education curriculum.
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Implemented in January 1985, the 8-4-4 system aimed to ensure four years of tertiary education, eight years of primary education, and four years of secondary education. The system prioritized vocational subjects, English, and mathematics.
Based on the aforementioned, it is evident that the advocates of the 8-4-4 system implemented the presently abandoned educational framework for a noble purpose. As an educational policy, the 8-4-4 system would encourage adolescents to pursue self-employment.
It aimed to place significant emphasis on skill and attitude development in preparation for the workplace, with a particular focus on self-employment. The new policy would increase the products’ employment potential, resulting in their eventual self-sufficiency.
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Kenya has continued to invest in education since achieving political independence in 1963, with the expectation that doing so will contribute to the nation’s transformation into a progressive modern state.
In the fiscal year 2023/4, the national budget allocated the largest proportion, amounting to Sh628.6 billion, to the education sector, representing 27.4 percent of the planned national expenditure.
Underfunding of the education sector for a long time
Poor capitation, insufficient resource allocation, and poor implementation all contributed to the failure of the 8-4-4 education system. With time, the 8-4-4 educational system became less focused on the acquisition of skills and self-sufficiency and more content-oriented. Decades of underfunding, the politicization of numerous processes (e.g., personnel), and neglect of schools in remote regions of the country—all to the detriment of its inhabitants—largely contributed to this.
Additionally, the 8-4-4 system was characterized by its exorbitant costs. Tuition fees, textbooks, uniforms, transportation, lodging facilities, and additional expenditures were mandatory, placing a significant financial burden on numerous low-income households.
In addition, the system fails to furnish sufficient resources and infrastructure, including computers, classrooms, libraries, laboratories, and instructors, to accommodate the substantial influx of students. Furthermore, concerns regarding inequality and marginalization, which substantially impact learners hailing from rural regions, neighborhoods, nomadic communities, and special needs groups, remain unaddressed by the system.
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It was legendary that 8-4-4 was rigorous and exam-focused. It placed students under pressure to excel on identical national assessments administered in grades eight and four. These assessments served as deciding factors in whether or not you should continue your education.
Curriculum customization to accommodate the diverse requirements and abilities of learners was not feasible. As a consequence of the intense competition and high expectations, numerous students experienced burnout, tension, and low self-esteem.
In conclusion, the 8-4-4 system failed to adequately equip students for the evolving work environment. Memorization and rote learning are prioritized over critical thinking and problem-solving abilities within the system. Emerging concerns including but not limited to globalization, environmental preservation, and the rule of law were not integrated into the curriculum of the system.
Furthermore, the current work environment is not conducive to the implementation of 8-4-4, as the majority of 8-4-4 graduates lack adaptability, innovation, communication, collaboration, and creative abilities.
A significant instruction
Contemporary society places a high value on instruction that fosters student engagement and participation. It disapproves of a situation in which instructors simply impart knowledge while students passively receive it.
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To achieve this, collaboration between instructors and learners is essential, as it promotes the application of problem-solving methodologies and facilitates the assessment of enduring human issues to develop practical solutions. Proficient learners would be more inclined towards critical thinking, ingenuity, and autonomy if this were implemented in our educational institutions.
Education serves as a mechanism through which socioeconomic transformation can occur. As a result, curricula must be frequently revised to equip students with the most current and desired skills and to ensure that they adhere to the most current standards for the global labor market. Kenya’s transition from content-based to competency-based curricula is praiseworthy, mirroring the trend observed in numerous other nations.
However, effective implementation remains critical and can only be achieved through adequate sectoral resources.
The positive aspects of the 8-4-4 educational system
The curriculum of the 8-4-4 system was comprehensive, encompassing a wide range of subjects and disciplines. Its objective was to provide students with values, skills, and knowledge pertinent to their individual and national growth.
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8-4-4 prepared students for independence and entrepreneurship by providing them with practical and vocational competencies in subjects including business studies, computer studies, art, agriculture, and home science.
The institution provided avenues for students to develop their abilities through participation in extracurricular organizations, music, sports, and drama. In addition to fostering the spiritual, social, and physical health of students, these activities helped them develop leadership and collaboration abilities.
Furthermore, it emphasized the importance of student engagement in environmental conservation and community service initiatives, thereby cultivating a sense of civic duty and accountability.
Numerous graduates of this institution have achieved notable success in diverse industries and disciplines, both domestically and globally. These graduates have provided evidence that the 8-4-4 system is capable of producing competitive and high-quality human capital that can positively impact the nation’s and the world’s social and economic progress.
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The 8-4-4 System: Unraveling Genesis and Shortcomings of 39-Year-OldEdcation System
