In the remote Kitui county of Kenya, a once bustling Kaliluni Primary School now stands desolate, with cows grazing among broken classrooms and empty chairs. This is just one of over 2,000 primary schools facing closure due to plummeting enrollment numbers, a consequence of the government's introduction of Competency-Based Education (CBE) in 2017. The new curriculum, designed to address educational inequality, has had a devastating effect on rural junior schools. Under the old system, primary schools taught students until grade eight and they moved to senior school at age 14. Now, final year primary school ends in grade six, with an intermediary stage, junior secondary school (grades seven to nine), added for more science and practical subjects. The sudden demand for resources has left many rural schools under-resourced, lacking classrooms, science laboratories, additional teachers, and new learning materials. Mark Kasyoki, an education expert, warns that the CBE curriculum, intended to improve education in low-income communities, could exacerbate inequality if the issues are not urgently addressed. Other schools in Kitui county have suffered a similar fate, with Sooma Primary School closing in 2023 after enrollment dropped to six pupils, and Manooni Primary School shutting down the following year after only three students registered. The trend is not limited to primary schools; rural secondary schools are also affected, with 2,700 of Kenya's 9,605 public secondary schools facing similar challenges due to declining pupil numbers. The shift towards urbanization and job opportunities has contributed to the decrease in school-age children in rural areas, where about 70% of Kenyans resided in 2023. According to UN-Habitat projections, more than half of Kenya's population could be living in towns or cities by 2050. The challenges faced by schools and teachers under the CBE curriculum have left many frustrated, with some questioning whether it strengthens or weakens rural schools. Frustration extends to parents like Tabitha Katingu, who have transferred their children to better-equipped schools due to a lack of trained teachers and necessary facilities in their previous schools. Despite the challenges, not all blame for school closures can be attributed solely to the curriculum; factors such as fewer births and urban migration also play a role.