For many parents of Grade 10 learners, the August break is anything but a holiday. Instead of rest, it has become a season of mentorship, internships, and skill‑building, all in the hope of giving their children an edge in university admissions and future careers.

When the Competency‑Based Curriculum (CBC) was first introduced, parents like Dr Charles Gachoki believed it would deliver a more practical and hands‑on education. His daughter, now in Grade 10 and aspiring to be a lawyer, was among the pioneer cohort. Yet nearly a decade later, Gachoki admits the system has not lived up to expectations. “My child moved from Grade 9 to Grade 10, but I can’t tell you there was anything very big to differentiate between a Social Scientist and a STEM student. They were just in the same classroom,” he says.

Dr Charles Gachoki has a daughter in Grade 10. He is utilizing August holiday to mentor her on various life skills

Photo credit: Pool

Faced with gaps in implementation, from inadequate resources to delayed capitation, parents are stepping in to fill the void. They are turning holidays into laboratories of life skills; taking children to farms, garages, courtrooms, and even translation jobs, determined to ensure that learning goes beyond textbooks.

“To me, CBE has made parents active participants in education. Since it is here to stay, the sooner we embrace it, the better. Our role goes beyond paying school fees. We are engaging our children at home and identifying the resources that can support teachers in shaping their learning,” he notes.

The researcher has taken deliberate steps to nurture her daughter’s dream of becoming a lawyer not just by ensuring she excels in exams, but by exposing her to real‑world experiences and life skills that will shape her future.

Read: Parents: Here’s why we’re ditching CBC for international curriculum

“I am taking her to the lawyers I know so that she can know what the career entails. My biggest observation is that the CBE system is running ahead of implementation. For example, my daughter is in Grade 10, but we still have inadequate teachers and laboratories, and delayed capitation,” he says.

Dr Gachoki also has a son in Grade 6. “He goes to the garage with his uncle who is a mechanic. Since I am also a farmer, I go with him to the farm because I still do not know what he likes.”

Ms Xu Jing has a son in Grade 10. The mother of two says her son is currently on a two weeks' internship program where he is equipping his life skills during school holiday.

Photo credit: Pool

Dr Gachoki’s situation reflects that of Ms Xu Jing. It is Monday morning, and the mother of two has already dropped her Grade 10 son off for an internship program where he is learning what happens in court. This will be his son’s daily schedule for the next two weeks, between 8am and 1pm

“The internship program keeps him busy and is helping him learn important skills for the future,” says Ms Xu.

Her son spends afternoons in his school, where he is part of the basketball team.

“My son is a very good basketball and football player who always represents his school team. I always accompany him and watch him play, and it is always very exciting.”

Allowing her son to participate in the basketball team in the afternoon, she says, helps him relax his mind. Ms Xu believes that an idle mind is a devil’s workshop, and since her son does not have any school assignments this August holiday, she also has weekend plans for him that keep him busy.

Read: Confusion, anxiety: The plight of Grade 10 parents yet to secure school slots

“My son speaks both English and Chinese, so I have also introduced him to one of my friend’s companies in Machakos County where he does translation work every Saturday from morning to lunch hour,” she tells Parenting.

Her Grade 10 son aspires to pursue engineering while her daughter, who is in Grade 8, is yet to decide on her future career.

“My daughter initially wanted to become a doctor, but now she is not sure. Last Saturday I allowed her to visit my friend’s company with her brother, and she was very excited because my friend taught her how to create Excel sheets. That is a new skill she did not have,” she says.

Her daughter has been a regular participant in the Kenya Music Festival since 2023, where her passion for music has driven her to compete in dance and master a variety of instruments from an early age.”

Ms Xu’s children’s August holiday is no less demanding than a regular school term, only the setting has changed. When asked why she keeps them so engaged, her answer reflects a reality many modern parents share.”

“I realised that my husband and I really followed the strict school term where we were in school, but we were idle during school holidays until we got employed. Today, children can learn so many things very quickly,” she says.

Like Dr Gachoki, Ms Xu has observed that her Grade 10 son has been doing simple practical lessons in school, which is why she is using this holiday to introduce him to some complex life skills.

School practicals give every student the same basic lessons, but society is far more diverse. It’s better to let children step outside, interact with people in different workplaces, and gain a sense of what life will demand of them in the future,” Ms Xu tells Parenting.

Ahmad Onyango sees himself and his Grade 10 daughter as history makers. Coincidentally, he was among the pioneers of the 8-4-4 education system while his daughter is among the CBE pioneers.

Pathways too early

“When CBE came, it was a shock to me, but I have come to love it. I have realised that employers are no longer looking for certificates; they want skills. The world has changed, and there is demand for innovative people.”

Mr Ahmed’s daughter has taken the STEM pathway, a decision that was highly influenced by her desire to become a surgeon.

“They were told to choose pathways too early, and now she wishes there was an option of taking two pathways because the social sciences nowadays seem to have more lucrative career paths. I can tell you, in 10 years to come, we won’t tell whether surgeons will be needed or it will be Artificial Intelligence doing the surgeries,” he notes.

While CBE is still a new education system with its fair share of challenges, parents like Mr Ahmad have chosen to handle it a day at a time.

“I am also learning, but I don’t want to give my child a lot of pressure because during my time as a student, I went through a lot of academic pressure, which was not good. My approach with my daughter is to employ a lot of practical work because of the continuous assessments, which is a good thing,” he observes.

The father of three admits that supporting the practical side of CBE remains costly, even for parents with children in government schools. This holiday, his daughter was tasked with projects demanding constant online research and materials like manila paper, markers, and coloured pens to build a model of the periodic table, expenses that quickly add up.

Read: Learners in junior high to take more subjects, KICD says

“We had to get a home Wi-Fi because my daughter is in the STEM pathway, so she does a lot of research. She needs to have the internet all the time. Recently our house was having some problems with the paint, but she just did some research online and told me wed needed damp resistant paint. That solution, given in the comfort of our home, saved me transport and money to consult an expert at the hardware,” he shares.

Mr Ahmad describes her daughter as a confident, critical and creative girl. This holiday, she is spending part of her time at the family businesses.

“She has shown a lot of interest in helping at the mum’s shop where there is a computer. She is there to learn how the system works, how the shop is arranged and even stock taking. If she does not become a surgeon, then she might help at our shop or take over when we retire.”

Rahab Wambui, has a Grade 10 son who wants to pursue a career in Theatre and Film industry. The mother of two is spending the school holiday watching animations with her son to understand video production techniques

Photo credit: Pool

Dr Ahmad’s experience mirrors that of Rahab Wambui, another Grade 10 parent. Flipping through her son’s file, she points to photos documenting practical school assignments — from washing utensils and gardening to cooking and poultry keeping. These activities, combined with school projects, earned her son nearly 40 per cent of his marks as he transitioned into Grade 10.

“As a parent, CBE has changed my life in so many ways. Although my son would only wash utensils then stop after I had taken his photos, he learnt how utensils are washed through that assignment,” Rahab says.

This holiday, things have changed. Instead of documenting his practical assignments with photos, Rahab and her son are spending much of their time watching and learning together. Her son has chosen the Arts and Sports Science pathway, a decision inspired by his natural talent for drawing.”

“My son wants to work in the theatre and film industry. So, this holiday we are watching a lot of animated films because my son loves them. He is good at critiquing the production, which shows me that he is on the right career path.”

Over the years, Rahab says she has been learning more from her Grade 10, including proper communication skills. The mother-son bond, she says, has continued to grow.

“For parents like me whose children have special needs, CBE is really favouring us because they do well in practical subjects. Even the grading is ideal because I only need to know whether he is meeting expectation or below expectation unlike the 8-4-4 education system where a child’s academic performance was determined by a three day exam. That used to crash the child’s self-esteem.”

Besides watching the animations, her Grade 10 son is also attending online catering lessons where he is learning how to prepare different foods and soups. He plans to bake a cake in the last week of the holiday based on what he will have learnt on YouTube.

These personal initiatives by individual parents mentoring their children during school holidays, according to the Deputy Head of Institution at Ngundu Comprehensive School, Anne Kibara, go a long way because they expose and help children to learn how work is done in different sectors.

“Parents are pillars of education, especially when it comes to nurturing the learners’ talent and their career paths. During school holidays, it is important for the parents to expose their children to real-life experiences out here, especially when it comes to career choices,” she told Parenting.

For parents wondering how to engage their children, she has a few tips.

“There is coding and robotics that is being taught from Grade 4. If you have a computer at home, your children can develop a simple game for other children that they can play. You can also take your children to see the creativity required while painting houses on construction sites. Engaging them in business also helps them learn financial literacy. Engagement in community activities is a nice way for children to learn leadership and group work,” advises teacher Anne.

Earlier in the year, parents of Grade 10 learners struggled to understand the criteria that were used to determine the Senior Secondary Schools their children were admitted to. The majority of them spent days and nights of anxiety and confusion looking for schools they believed were better for their children who were transitioning from Junior Secondary Schools to Senior Secondary Schools. According to the manager, research at Mizizi Elimu Afrika, Dr Charles Gachoki, that information is still missing.

“The government never came out clearly to tell us the criteria. There are C1 schools, the traditional national schools that parents still believe are the best schools. We were never told what criteria were used to place children in those schools. That could be part of the reason why every parent is now working hard to support their children during school holidays because in two years, these children will be going to university and parents do not want to go through another confusion,” says Dr Gachoki.

“An analysis by Mizizi Elimu Afrika of the latest KCSE results shows that while C1 schools admit only a small fraction of learners nationwide, they produce the largest share of university entrants. According to Dr Gachoki, this underscores that even as parents invest heavily in nurturing practical skills during school holidays, they continue to channel equal energy into academics both at home and in the CBE classrooms.

“Based on the latest released KCSE exam, sub-county schools enrol 54 per cent of all candidates but produce only 0.9 per cent of A grades. National (C1) schools enroll 4.4 per cent but produce 79 per cent of all As. CBE doesn’t seem to have a solution to this,” notes Dr Gachoki.

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