By Obegi Malack
Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) chairman Indimuli Kahi has lauded the President’s move to review the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) even as he roots for it to be adopted amid calls to scrap it off.
While commending Uhuru Kenyatta’s government for rolling out the system, Mr. Indimuli said that CBC allowed children to pick different paths as compared to the previous 8-4-4 system and should not be scrapped off.
“The curriculum is good; it is important for us to look at it. You cannot compare CBC with 8-4-4 because it is a pedagogical approach that requires us to identify competences and allow children to pick different pathways unlike the 8-4-4 system,” he said.
Further, he said that the CBC review task force yet to be formed by President Ruto should iclude in their agenda a seamless transition in schools as they move from the 8-4-4 system.
“The CBC task force should look at the transition, the financing of the entire program and a good capacity building plan where there is teacher recruitment, fine-tuning and training,” he said.
The Chairperson added that the curriculum interpretation must also ensure that there will be elimination of misconceptions and misunderstandings and children are given activities that can be done in an alternative way.
President Ruto who spoke during his inaugural speech as the fifth President of Kenya at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani had announced plans to set up an education reform taskforce in the coming weeks to collect views from all education sector players in line with the constitutional demands of public participation.
“We are particularly alive to the anxieties of parents on the twin transition of the last 8-4-4 class and the first CBC class in January next year, I assure all that there will be a solution of the matter before then,” said the President.
The President’s move comes on the back of concerns raised by parents and stakeholders on government preparedness on the double transition that will occur in January 2023.
Stakeholders claim there is limited accommodation and the cost of implementing the system was very high.
In January next year, approximately 2,512,467 learners are expected to join Secondary Education in accordance with the Government policy on 100% transition of learners in Basic Education.
These include 1,268,830 learners in Grade 6 who will transition to JSS (Grade7) under the CBC; and 1,243,637 Standard 8 cohort of 2022 who will transition to Form 1 under the 8-4-4 system.
