The Ministry of Education (MoE) has reduced subjects for lower and upper primary schools in line with the recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms Report (PWPER).

The report launched on August 1, 2023, recommended that the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) reduce the number of learning areas for both lower and upper primary schools to improve the quality of education in Kenya.

In the new changes, KICD and MoE has maintained the five learning areas, for Pre-Primary (PP1-PP2), as recommended by the PWPER report.

The learning areas include Language Activities, Mathematical Activities, Creative Activities, Environmental Activities, Religious Activities, and the Pastoral/Religious Instruction Programme.

In Lower Primary (Grade 1-3)  the number of learning areas has been reduced from the current nine to seven, with learners expected to take 31 lessons per week from the current 35.

KNEC issues update on 2023 KCSE results release date

This include Indigenous Language Activities (2), Kiswahili Language Activities and Kenya Sign Language Activities (4), English Language Activities (5), Mathematical Activities (5), Religious Education Activities (3), Environmental Activities(4), Creative Activities (7), Pastoral and Religious Instruction Programme (1).

Notably, Hygiene and Nutrition activities have been integrated within Environmental Activities with four lessons while Creative Arts which now includes aspects of Art, Craft, Music and Physical Education will have seven lessons per week.

In Upper Primary (Grades 4, and 6) the learning areas have been reduced from 10 to eight and lessons reduced from 40 to 35 per week.

Agriculture which has been integrated with aspects of Home Science into one composite subject referred to as Agriculture and Nutrition will have four lessons per week and seven lessons for Creative Arts.

In Junior School learning areas have been reduced from fourteen to nine and lessons from forty five to forty per week.

The new learning structure will come into effect in early January 2024.