By Mutuvi Janet
Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has announced the curriculum design for Junior Secondary School (JSS) whereby learners will take 14 subjects with 12 being compulsory for every learner.
According to KICD, Grade 7 learners will take 45 lessons a week with each lesson lasting 40 minutes.
The 14 subjects include; English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, Integrated Science, Health Education, Pre-technical and Pre-career, Social studies, Religious Education, Business Studies, Agriculture, Life Skills Education, Physical Education (PE) and Foreign Languages; and will be introduced alongside indigenous language as an optional subject.
Other optional subjects will include Performing Visual Arts and Computer Science.
The new curriculum design stipulates that Pre-technical and Pre-career studies is a subject that prepares the learner for technical career and technology studies which are tracks in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pathway.
“This will equip the learner with foundational knowledge, that is required in subjects such as metalwork, woodwork, electricity, aviation technology, construction, power mechanics, leatherwork, culinary arts, hairdressing and beauty therapy, marine and fisheries, manufacturing and media technology at senior school,” the curriculum design reads.
From the new curriculum design, it indicates that English, Mathematics and Social Studies have been allocated the highest hours of teaching with each having five subjects each week.
Integrated Science (Biology, Chemistry, and Physics) and Kiswahili will be covered four times a week while Business and Agriculture have allocated three subjects weekly.
Religious Education, Health Education, and PE will have two periods every week while Life Skills will only have one subject per week.
The new curriculum will be introduced in schools once they re-open schools for the teachers to familiarize themselves with the new guidelines.
