By Malachi Motano
Pioneers of competency based curriculum Julius Jwan and Sarah Ruto will now face the daunting task of making ready basic education institutions to conform to the new transition.
Jwan and Ruto served at Kenya institute of curriculum (KICD), and were spearheading curriculum reforms that had stalled for over 13 years when.
The duo were very instrumental in providing critical technical support and giving practical advice to the Ministry of Education as the government started to switch from current content-based curriculum which is on face-out to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
As a result of their concerted efforts and input, the ministry of educations managed to roll out the implementation of the CBC, beginning from Pre Primary One (PPI) to the current Grade 4 as Grade 5 CBC awaits roll-out out before end of the year.
Jwan was in charge of developing the new curriculum that is now being rolled out in phases during his time at KICD. Before his promotion to Technical And Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) as the principal Secretary (PS), he also oversaw the conversion of digital content into HTML5, which can play on any platform, thus making it easy for the rollout of the Digital Literacy Programme in primary schools.
Meanwhile his colleague according to the staff KICD was steadfast, progressive and innovative chairperson of KICD Council who managed to initiate many partnerships for research on parental engagement, value-based education and community service learning.
According to Charles Ongondo the current KICD CEO, Ruto has deep insights into the CBC and ensured that the institute had to come up with appropriate curricula that demonstrate fidelity to the competencies anticipated in CBC.
“She was a serious advocate of digital literacy and has championed capacity building in rural schools,” says Ongondo.
Her recent appointment as the Chief administrative Secretary (CAS) at the ministry of education together with moving Jwan from TVETA to the critical State department of Early Leaning and Basic Education, which is critical in rolling out the new 2-6-3-3-3 education system and to spearhead execution of the wide education sector reforms by President Uhuru Kenyatta clearly demonstrate that the government is keen to full implementation of the new education sector reforms instituted under his tenure.
The President, while receiving CBC report by the he task force, also directed Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha to pick the implementation team among the panel that played part in the report.
According to the President, he created the new State department to oversee the implementation of the new education reforms. In the new system of education, learners will spend two years in pre-primary education, six in primary school, three in junior secondary school and another three in senior secondary.
Ruto replaces Zack Kinuthia, who was moved to Sports, in the same capacity while Jwan replaces Belio Kipsang, who is now PS State Department for Regional & Northern Corridor Development.
