Nairobi — Following an earlier plea by schools, the government this time moved fast to release some Sh9 billion ahead of their new term date that started on Monday.

This was a relief to the schools, which went without funds in the first two terms, leading to massive debts and cuts in critical expenditure.

Many academic and co-curricular curriculum activities were put on hold, and that has implications on the learners' performance in the long run.

As the third term begins, the focus will be on Standard Eight and Form Four national examinations, which come in October and November.

The exams are critical in the lives of the candidates as they provide the basis for progress and placement in the school system and later on, training and employment.

However, outside the school, the government and other interest groups will be working on a new plan for education to align it with the new Constitution.

For the first time, education has been enshrined as a fundamental human right and this obligates the government to offer it to all.

Thus far, the Ministry of Education has announced plans to set up a task force to review the education system in its entirety, including funding, existing pieces of legislation and the curriculum content to reflect the emerging changes.

The changes will build on the free primary education introduced in 2003, and subsidised secondary schooling in 2008, which brought challenges such as inadequate funding and resource shortfalls.

While schools focus on preparing candidates for the tests, experts and other players in the education sector should be thinking of how to de-emphasise exams in the new education order. This has become absolutely necessary.