Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana has supported the implementation of the competency-based curriculum.
The new system has put the Education ministry at loggerheads with the Kenya National Union of Teachers.
The union says schools are ill-prepared. But the ministry has started a teacher training programme to prepare them ahead of the nationwide rollout of the system. It began on Tuesday.
In some parts of the country, Knut officials have disrupted the training.
Kibwana said the new curriculum is good for Kenya's development.
“The competency-based curriculum allows learners to gain practical skills and focus on their future career building subjects as opposed to reading purely for exams,” the county chief said.
He spoke on Thursday at Makueni School in Wote town during a mentorship programme for 236 secondary school students under scholarships in different schools. They are among the 287 students who secured opportunities in national secondary schools but could not report for lack of fees. The county has also awarded Sh300 million bursaries to 42,000 learners since 2014.
Kibwana called for proper training of teachers to acquaint them with the new syllabus.
"Efforts should be made to train teachers during holidays and the requisite infrastructure put in place if the new curriculum is to take off,” he said.
The Harvard University graduate said Africa lacks a well-structured education system. He blamed this for the zeal by many Africans to acquire higher education from outside the continent.
"If the CBC is well implemented, it has the potential to cure this deficiency and drive the country’s development to higher heights."
