Kenya’s search for identity through Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) has been in top gear, especially in the past year, as the country continues to stabilize its education system.
The journey, however, has been one bedeviled by many snags, and the government’s efforts to sustain it have been stretched thin.
Proponents of CBC have baptized it the savior curriculum, while its haters rubbish it, faulting it for not measuring to their standards and rather lofty expectations, which, in my view, are achievements yonder.
Worth noting is that CBC was introduced in Kenya in 2017 but was fully rolled out in lower education in 2023, meaning there are no pupils in primary school studying under the now outdated 8-4-4 curriculum.
It’s correct to note that CBC is still in its teething stage and has been staggering back and forth as it gropes for firmer grounds, more light, and a clearer identity.
With CBC replacing the previous rote learning and bringing a new sense of inclusivity through embracing talent, promoting skills over mere knowledge, and bringing out the best from the learners, to it much has been given—time and resources—and from it, much is expected.
Complex
What happens when the government thinks of a project, markets it to the citizenry, starts it, does a 360° consultancy (or rather appears to have done so), gets and implements insights from the field’s best of the best, funds it (of course inadequately, but significantly), and then it later starts dawning on more people that the problems around the project seem to be stifling it’s progress?
At that point, the consultants start saying less, with the optimists releasing positive ions into the air and the pessimists countering them with all power, with the government seemingly at a crossroads!
It’s an entire concoct of probabilities and uncertainties. Isn’t it? That’s CBC for you!
It defeats all doubts, that CBC is progressing, yet not without challenges, like any other project.
Various dynamics complicate the entire Critical Path Analysis for the CBC project, thus the outcry in fear of uncertainties.
Some parents have felt like their children have been subjected to a test curriculum, jeopardizing their future.
Satisfied clients
Children who have had several years in CBC seem to be more skilled, knowledgeable, curious, and more passionate than their counterparts were in their age.
Researchers and stakeholders on the ground have pointed out that the pioneer learners seem satisfied with the career paths their talents, skills, and CBC-aligned guidance they’ve received have pointed them to.
They have enthusiasm and in business language, we’d probably say they’re happy and satisfied clients.
The time’s ripe, therefore, for stakeholders and people of goodwill to change their mindset and suckle the baby, because it’s already born and there’s no turning back. The current teething problems are solvable through concerted efforts, goodwill, a positive mindset, and proactive action by the government and other top stakeholders.
Snags
But, what teething problems am I talking about?
Insufficient teacher training: Most of the teachers have been training for just a handful of weeks or just a month, tagged well-baked and released to go impart imperative skills to the young learners’ minds.
Any concerned educationist, parent, or stakeholder can easily connect the dots that this training of trainers is nowhere near being sufficient. Continuous learning through training sessions, workshops, symposiums and other avenues is critical to impart the skills, perspectives, knowledge, passion and confidence in the teachers.
Bloated student numbers: This is a decades-old mishap in Kenya. Due to their insufficiency, most schools are usually packed to the brim yet the teachers are meager! CBC is learner-centered, and each single student is an individual case demanding personalized attention. Building more classrooms to expand current schools, building more schools to absorb more learners and employing more teachers are vital elements of the solution to this lingering thorn.
Tantalized funding: While education is key, the government hasn’t been sufficiently keen to fund this new curriculum. The psychologists up there seem to have mastered their cards well, but the repercussions are calling loudly and asking for more funds. Allocating and releasing more funds to support and drive the new curriculum is vital for its sustainability.
Vagueness: I suppose this is among the most destructive snags embattling CBC. The whole thing, if not well thought of, may become directionless, confused and confusing. Before settling at Junior Secondary Schools (JSS), Grade 9 students are being told they may be transferred to high school. The issue of content review in high school and university curriculum has surfaced! Without ranking nor grading, what if every student performs excellently in their career path, will all join university? Are the universities themselves equipped to further train these skill-centered learners? Are they even scathed by this thought? These questions show that the CBC pilots have dropped the compass into the deep seas and are still groping for direction.
No turning back
Corruption, lack of goodwill and political interference are other poisons incapacitating efforts to stabilize CBC, a whole discussion for another time.
But CBC must roll and rock, nevertheless! Children must study, no matter what. It’s not their fault, and they don’t have to lose because their parents and government seem to have reached a cul-de-sac.
How, then, are we to handle our CBC baby? We can’t ignore that we have a long way to go before our CBC infant stands and walks. We can only afford to join hands, brainstorm, and share probable solutions with the parents, government and policymakers, charting clearer strategies on how to support our nation’s posterity through education.
It’s upon us to encourage our children to embrace the new norm, grab for themselves as many skills as possible, sharper their talents, gifts and skills, gain the dexterity in its completeness, and stay passionate.
There’s no room to discourage them. We can’t afford to kill their dreams by talking them away from the curriculum set to shape their future. We can only involve solution-givers and the government for solutions and hope.
Resilience is key and a positive mindset is a forte in this. Therefore, whoever thinks CBC is doomed should wake up and repent!
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.