APBET Schools Urge Government Support for CBE Implementation in Informal Settlements

By Mbungu Harrison

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

Association of Private Basic Education and Training (APBET) Schools in Kenya Secretary General Athman Juma Lubambo, has urged the government to support schools in informal settlements with the necessary resources to successfully implement the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum.

Lubambo said APBET schools play a critical role in providing education to thousands of learners living in informal settlements in major cities, but the institutions have largely been neglected by the government despite their contribution to the education sector.

“Transition of CBE in terms of teachers many teachers have not gotten enough training to manage CBE. The government is focused only on government school forgetting that we have APBET Schools,” said Lubambo.

Lubambo, who is also the founder of Vision of Hope Education Center, noted that the challenges facing APBET schools have been significant since the rollout of the new education system.

He called on the government to support the institutions with proper infrastructure and resources to ensure equity in the quality of education offered to learners under the CBE system.

“The government knows the existence of this schools, but it has failed to recognize them, they need to be supported because they play critical role in supporting the Education in this country,” he said.

Lubambo also said teachers working in APBET schools and registered by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) should be considered for additional training to improve their capacity in handling the CBE curriculum, particularly in schools located in informal settlements.

He expressed hope that the APBET Amendment Bill 2025, once passed, will strengthen access to quality education for learners studying in such institutions.

According to Lubambo, several APBET schools have already been registered, including more than 39 in Mombasa and 26 in Kisumu counties.

“The ministry of education has failed to take care by distributing CBC books and learning materials to those schools that are offering education in the slums which are already recognized,” Lobamba said, adding that school managers are going beyond the ordinary to ensure quality education is delivered despite the challenges.

Lubambo further described the situation as an infrastructure crisis in APBET schools, noting that most institutions lack adequate facilities and depend largely on fees from parents who are already struggling financially.

“The schools are left to depend on already struggling parents to pay fees forcing the schools to struggle in delivering quality education,” he said.

School owners and administrators in Bangladesh area within Jomvu constituency echoed Lubambo’s sentiments, calling on the government to support the institutions by supplying textbooks, offering additional training for teachers and prioritizing APBET schools due to the role they play in expanding access to education.

Senior teacher at Gift Comprehensive School in Bangladesh, Philister Takaa, who spoke in behalf of the school director supported the appeal, noting that the school has significantly contributed to improving access to education in the area but still requires infrastructure support to effectively implement the CBE curriculum.

“Bangladesh has only one public school and therefore APBET schools are very important to accomodate pupils who are left out after overstretched public schools in the area,at gift school we are doing our best to deliver quality education,” said Takaa.

At St. Consolata Competence Education Center, the school headteacher Oliver Kilonzi also backed the call for increased government support, saying APBET schools require learning materials and infrastructure to effectively implement the new education system.

Meanwhile, Madam Consolata Anyango the director of the school located in Bangladesh in Jomvu said the institution has played a key role in bridging the education gap left by the limited number of public schools in the area.

“The school has bridged the gap left by only existing public government schools,” she said.

Lubambo who is also Vying for the Jomvu parliamentary seat also urged parents to play their role in shaping the future of education by electing political leaders who prioritize education development.

“We are calling on Kenya’s and people of Jomvu,to put into leadership people with plans for education.In Jomvu I have been here I know our problems and it’s easy to solve them because we understand them well,”Lubambo noted.

He said education remains the foundation for transforming the lives of children and improving livelihoods across the Coastal region.