Eight years after the introduction of the Competency Based Education (CBE) to replace the 8-4-4 education system, the country is now breeding a generation of critical thinkers and problem solvers.
Josephine Wanjiku, an educationist and a don at Kenya Methodist University (KeMU) says that the Competency Based Education (CBE) has transformed the education sector and positively impacted learners across the country.
Wanjiku, in an interview, said that learners are now being molded into critical thinkers and problem solvers through hands-on training, industry attachments, as well as entrepreneurship, adding that introducing the new curriculum was the best decision the country made.
The Don, who doubles as the Director at Grasten Academy situated in Kiambu County, quipped that the model introduced individualized learning which allows learners to advance at their own pace, promoting a more friendly learning environment through individual progress assessments.
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“Unlike the rote memorization in the previous models, CBE is helping students gain skills through activities like building, crafting, designing among many other activities which is preparing them for the workforce. This model is truly in tandem with the country’s national goals including the government’s Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda,” she said.
Wanjiku averred that the new model has aided learners in identifying their strengths and focusing to nurture and develop their talents. This, she said will play a pivotal role in enhancing the country’s socio-economic stability in the near future.
“We have witnessed increased students’ engagement and early specialization through pathways aligned with student strengths has helped increase engagement. This has further seen a significant reduction in dropout rates,” she averred.
She pointed out that the improved curriculum infrastructure has facilitated subjects’ rationalization thereby making it more streamlined for the sake of learners.
Wanjiku at the same time expressed the need for all stakeholders to work closely for full implementation and success of the new model.
Bishop Paul Muhia of AIPCA Church echoed her sentiments saying that the new model is healthy for the current and future generations terming as transformational.
He argued that unlike before, learners nowadays can easily identify their strengths and focus on improving them adding that this will make them productive citizens who will immensely contribute to the society’s and country’s growth.
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Bishop Muhia at the same time called on the government to make requisite interventions and address some of the bottlenecks facing the new model including ensuring teachers’ formal training on CBE implementation.
“The Government should also ensure that we have adequate facilities to handle the practical and hands-on nature of CBE by putting up labs and studios in all institutions. There’s need to bridge the infrastructure gaps required for full realization and implementation of the new model,” Bishop Muhia said.
Parents led by Phillip Mwangi also hailed the new model noting that it has encouraged active participation of the parents as well as the community since most school programmes and projects are tailored to local contexts.
“Parents are now actively engaging their children through their education journey. Despite the hiccups like high costs of facilitating it, it’s a transformational model. Most of us parents can attest to the changes in behaviors as well as thinking of our kids,” Mwangi said.
By John Kamau
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