KICD To Reduce CBC Subjects In Primary And Secondary Levels
As the 8-4-4 shift picks up steam, President William Ruto released an ambitious plan on Tuesday (August 1, 2023) that includes a number of recommendations targeted at overhauling the educational system from the pre-primary to the tertiary levels.
Dr. Ruto received the report from the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform (PWPER) at State House in Nairobi. The President expressed pride in the report, which, if completely implemented, will fundamentally alter the entire educational system.
I’ll be in charge of the group that makes sure the suggestions are carried out for the good of kids and society, he declared.
The PWPER was appointed at the end of September of last year and toured the nation to get the public’s opinions. Due to the fact that it had not finished the mission when its mandate expired at the end of March, Dr. Ruto extended it until June 9, 2023.
Because we have handled all the worries about what would happen to our children, the nation is no longer unrest, according to Dr. Ruto.
The PWPER was presided over by Prof. Raphael Munavu, and now that the process is finished, attention is turning to putting the suggestions into practise.
The proposed legislation in the text will call for action from Parliament.
Students in primary and junior secondary schools will have less work to do as a result of the team’s suggestion to reduce the number of subject categories.
“Stakeholders raised concerns about the high number of learning areas in primary and junior secondary schools; curriculum overload and overlap; high cost of updating CBC passed on to parents; internet and electricity connectivity challenges that negatively affect digital literacy; and low levels of literacy and numeracy for basic learning,” the report states.
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) should consequently lower the number of learning areas from nine to seven for grades one through three, from twelve to eight for grades four through six, and from fourteen to nine for grades seven through nine, according to PWPER.
Pre-primary students will have five learning areas, while students in junior high school (grades seven through twelve) will have seven.
The PWPER envisions a comprehensive school that is run as a single institution and includes pre-primary, primary, and junior secondary education on one campus. The present Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary will no longer use the word “secondary.”
The report suggests eliminating the classification of schools as national, extra-county, county, or sub-county and reclassifying them as day, boarding, mixed (day/boarding), and mixed (boys/girls), as well as according to the pathways they will offer at senior secondary level, in order to address the fierce competition for spots in secondary schools.
The research suggests a curriculum fashioned after the National Youth Service pre-university initiative that failed in the 1980s in an effort to integrate community service learning, a crucial element of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Introduce a nine-month required community service requirement after completing tertiary education and a three-month mandatory community service programme for seniors entering tertiary institutions. Before being allowed to enter the workforce, a certificate of completion of community service should be granted, the research recommends.
It continues by recommending that the Ministry of Education (MOE) create a framework for policy on dress code for all educational levels.
The report suggests that the MoE create guidelines mandating a one-year retooling and upgrading course for all teachers who graduated before 2023 in response to stakeholder concerns over teacher qualifications for the implementation of the CBC.
This essentially refers to both working and jobless instructors.
“Given the gradual implementation of the CBC, the MoE and sector stakeholders need to prioritise the retooling of teachers in line with the new requirements of the CBC and the learning/subject areas,” the paper states.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC), which was previously in charge of teacher training, has now turned over that obligation to the MoE, considerably curtailing the TSC’s authority.
In order to prepare for competency-based teacher education courses, universities are also expected to create one-year retraining programmes for teachers.
Additionally, the PWPER has advocated for increased education financing. Pre-primary education, which was not previously supported, would now receive Sh1,170 per student annually, while the capitation grant for primary schools will nearly quadruple from Sh1,420 to Sh2,238 annually.
Students in senior high school will receive Sh22,527 annually. The capitation is currently Sh22,244, and it has been that way since 2018. Principals of secondary schools have pushed for a rise of Sh30,000.
Additionally, it is suggested that a minimal essential package be put in place to support schools whose enrollment is below the ideal level. Pre-primary education should cost Sh70,200; primary education should cost Sh537,120; junior and senior high school should cost Sh2.03 million, Sh3.04 million, and special education should cost Sh1.89 million.
KICD To Reduce CBC Subjects In Primary And Secondary Levels
The Jomo Kenyatta Foundation, which has been around since 1968, should be disbanded and the Kenya Basic Education Bursaries and Scholarship Council should take its place, according to the PWPER.
Its responsibility will be to coordinate the awarding of scholarships and bursaries.
“There are numerous, fragmented, and poorly coordinated sources of scholarships and bursaries, and there are no distinct selection standards for recipients. According to the survey, the majority of them are marked by corruption, nepotism, and tribalism, with ungrateful, well-connected individuals profiting more than the deserving.
The MoE, the National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG- CDF), county governments, banks and foundations, NGOs, faith-based organisations, and generous individuals are some of the sources of scholarships and bursaries.
A consolidated database of all scholarships and bursaries will be available to the new organisation.
Both the awarding of bursaries and scholarships from two different sources and the return of unused monies to beneficiaries would be prohibited.
“Schools, districts, sub-districts, and counties are to be used to identify needy students, with the help of religious leaders, principals, and elected officials. According to the article, the council will be constituted as a partially autonomous government agency within the [State Department of Basic Education].
According to the study, stakeholders recommended that learners should be tracked beginning at birth in order to inform enrollment in school and for capitation purposes. It suggests using a special identification number for every child starting at birth and continuing throughout their education. Within a year, this should be accomplished.
The study contains a matrix for implementation that outlines the timeline for each action point and the ministry or organisation in charge of it.
KICD To Reduce CBC Subjects In Primary And Secondary Levels
