This archive report was first published on 16 August 2019.
On August 16, 2019, the Education ministry organized a national conference at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre to provide a platform for public dialogue on the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). The conference aimed to generate ideas that could help refine and enrich the new curriculum.
The CBC, launched last year, seeks to promote skills acquisition and talent management. However, its roll-out has been dogged by controversies, with critics arguing that the government has not adequately consulted the citizens. Public engagement is a constitutional imperative, particularly given the significant changes the new system brings.
The conference provided a singular opportunity to engage curriculum developers and implementers, ask tough questions, and demand convincing answers. It was also a chance to assess the implementation and obtain feedback on what ought to change to ensure the new curriculum works.
Curriculum reform is inevitable, and changing times dictate that education is revitalised and reconfigured to create skills that can meet emerging realities of the 21st Century. The current 8-4-4 system has been in existence for 35 years, but circumstances have changed. Technology has shifted, creating economic and social disruptions as well as opportunities.
However, questions abound as to the level of our preparedness to implement the new curriculum. Many schools suffer serious infrastructure deficits, and teacher shortage is a perennial menace. Even among the existing teachers, few are sufficiently equipped to handle the new curriculum.
There is also conceptual dissonance over the structure, especially at grades seven to nine. Questions are being asked whether that should constitute senior primary or junior secondary. Moreover, there is no clarity on assessments, transition parameters, and choice of pathways at senior secondary school.
