Kenya has undertaken several reforms to improve its education systems. The spread of globalization has led to widespread policy borrowing and lending across country borders.
In Kenya, one of the best practice reforms influenced externally is the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), a component of the Learner-Centered Education (LCE) reform movement that has been advocated for by aid organizations since the 1970s. The implementation of CBC in Kenya was done primarily to comply with and meet the expectations of the international community.
The reform’s elements are not compatible with the nation’s current educational culture and resources, which is largely why it continues to have little impact on classroom instruction.
CBC has lost popularity in most of the nations where it was implemented before. Imposed and non-voluntary policy changes typically don’t adapt to the resources and cultural norms of the adopting nation. Most often, the imposition is contingent upon fulfilling requirements set forth by international monetary organizations and non-governmental organizations that finance such policy reforms.
CBC was implemented because it was thought to be “the best practice” or because it was intended to serve political purposes. The context in which it was to be implemented was however disregarded.
The government should anticipate the difficulties of implementing reforms abroad without first ensuring that the environment is conducive for their adoption. It is important to talk about broad contextual issues like copying reforms verbatim from one nation to another, diverse educational cultures and the lack of consideration for whether or not the educational infrastructure is ready to sustain the reform.
The Kenyan approach to educational reforms is designed with minimal focus on individuals who will carry out the actual implementation. Since they fail to acknowledge the importance of support from educators or street-level bureaucrats, the strategies frequently fail to provide the much desired results.
The fact that learner-centered education alters the power balance between teachers and students is another reason why teachers are likely to respond negatively to it.
For CBC, the government is seen as the originator who has created many difficulties in the implementation process because it has neglected to take into account the educational beliefs of people assigned to execute the policy.
Our current situation can only be salvaged by adopting a phenomenon known as vernacular globalization that occurs when popular educational ideas are modified to conform to regional settings.
Local context continues to be a crucial component in the effectiveness of reforms. Local players can express their ideas and exercise their rights through the local power sharing mechanism modification.
Educational reforms should be planned with the local context and local constituencies in mind. Street-level bureaucrats should be involved in all stages of policy making, from agenda setting to policy formation. Educators should be close to the ground in terms of understanding the needs and concerns of other affected groups such as students and parents.
An approach to reform that involves backward mapping would ultimately prove more effective, as street-level bureaucrats would have greater ownership over the reforms.
The implementation stage of policymaking should be given greater attention since change is a developmental process which takes commitment and not an event.
Planning and implementing educational reforms is a multifaceted endeavor, which is made even more complex when reforms are borrowed and lent across borders.
In conclusion, most reforms fail because they are not developed with effective planning and foresight. Policymakers should take greater care when planning reforms to suit the intended context and to ensure there are adequate resources available to implement the reform. More attention must be paid to the processes and to the implementers.
By Isaac Ouko Masenge
The writer is a PhD student in Public Policy and Management at Kenyatta University
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