The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and officials from the Ministry of Education have begun a nationwide inspection of schools. The team, which includes officers from TSC County and Sub County Directors’ offices, the Curriculum Support Office, and the Ministry of Education, is tasked with assessing the quality of education and facilities in schools.

While the primary focus of the inspection is on the readiness of Grade 9 classes, the team will also evaluate sanitation standards, school staffing, teacher preparedness, and the availability of teaching and learning materials, among other factors.

Many schools are still facing challenges with incomplete Grade 9 classrooms, despite significant funding allocated for this initiative. Additionally, both primary and junior school levels received new rationalized textbooks during the first week of the second term, with at least two classes in primary and one in junior school receiving the updated materials.

Heads of Institutions (HOIs) have begun notifying teachers to prepare and present their professional documents in advance of the inspection. Teachers are expected to have their Schemes of Work, Lesson Plans, Class Attendance Registers, Progress Records, and Records of Work Covered updated and ready.

School heads and their deputies must maintain class attendance registers and lesson observation forms to oversee teachers’ classroom activities in accordance with the teacher appraisal system. HOIs are also required to complete and submit a Performance Contract form to the TSC Sub County Directors as per TSC regulations.

This inspection occurs just a month before schools break for the half-term on June 24, 2025. It coincides with Grade 4 and 5 learners in primary schools completing their School Based Assessment (SBA) projects. The Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) has set a deadline of May 31, 2025, for schools to upload these SBA projects.

In March, Knec made the projects available for download on the Competency Based Assessment (CBA) portals for schools to administer to learners. Schools must conduct the performance tasks (projects and practicals), score them, and upload the results for all learners on the CBA portal by the specified deadline.

Knec has indicated that the tasks need to be uploaded by May 31, 2025, with both grades working on projects in Science and Technology, Creative Arts, Physical Education, and Agriculture and Nutrition. Many schools have adhered to the timeline, having completed the projects and practicals and are now focused on submitting the scores.

In a circular dated January 21, 2025, Knec instructed primary headteachers to maintain all records and evidence generated from the assessments. To reduce costs, Knec advised that materials for assessments should be sourced from the immediate school environment or improvised as much as possible.

Other classes are also engaged in projects and practicals, with Grades 3, 4, and 5 in primary schools participating, and all Grades 7, 8, and 9 in junior schools involved in assessment projects and practicals. Grade 3 students are undertaking the Integrated Learning Assessment (ILA), which encompasses all learning areas, while Grades 7 and 8 are working on projects in Agriculture, Creative Arts, Sports, and Integrated Science. Grade 9 learners are completing the KJSEA project in Creative Arts and Sports, with Knec imposing a fine of 500 shillings for late submission of KJSEA project scores.

Below are the subjects with projects and practicals, along with the dates for downloading assessment materials and the final deadlines for uploading scores.

Also Grade 9 learners will sit for a qualifying test courtesy of the Kenya National Examinations Council from 9th June 2025.

The test will be done online and aims to test learners ability to sit for the upcoming Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA).

Knec has already released a timetable for the test which shows it will take three days. The first day 9th June will be rehearsal.

On Tuesday 10th June the learners will do Mathematics from 8:30am to 10:30am then English from 11:30am to 1:10pm.

On Wednesday 11th June they will do Integrated Science from 8:30am to 10:10am then Kiswahili from 11:10am to 12:50pm.

Below is a timetable that was released by Knec to guide the online test.