• In some schools, other subjects have been reallocated to take time meant for foreign languages.
• The Star has established the state plans for foreign languages be mainly taught in secondary schools, not primary schools.
Image: MARTIN FUNDI
Four subjects could lapse and eventually die under the new curriculum.
The Star has established that implementation of Foreign Languages, ICT, Creative Arts and Home Science is lagging at best. In some subjects, no learning has taken place, others are only partially implemented.
The four are all new subjects that were not in the old 8-4-4 system and non-implementation could signal an overly ambitious education system.
In the 8-4-4 education system, the learners only tackled six subjects; In contrast, the Competency-Based Curriculum learners take 11 subjects once they enter Grade 4.
The aim of the extra subjects is to give learners an extra edge so even those who don't pursue further formal education will still have skills.
In the new curriculum, learners in upper primary take 11 subjects. They include Mathematics, Science and Technology, Kiswahili, Foreign Languages, ICT, Creative arts and Home Science.
ICT and Foreign Languages remain the most affected, having never taken off in most public schools.
While the pioneer class is in Grade 4, some suggestions from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development for the foreign languages included teaching Chinese and French in Upper Primary, Grades 4, 5 and 6.
However, none has been able to take off one year since the pioneer class entered upper primary. It couldn't finish the primary school cycle and didn't have the chance to learn any foreign language.
"No public primary school has managed to get a foreign language teacher, thus, we don't teach it," one of the teachers interviewed by the Star revealed.
Initially, during teacher training to handle the new curriculum, teachers were promised that the government would employ foreign language teachers.
The arrangement was for a teacher to be attached to one school but to serve several other schools in the area.
The purpose of foreign languages is to broaden the learner’s grasp of diversity in a world that is increasingly becoming a global village.
The argument is that if a learner can speak English, Kiswahili and have a topping of French, Mandarin, or both, then they would have an edge.
When asked what they plan to do with the time meant for this subject, a teacher replied that in her school (name withheld), other subjects have been reallocated time meant for foreign languages.
The Star has established the state now plans for foreign languages to be mainly taught in secondary schools, rather than in primary schools.
Another Grade 4 teacher said she was required to assign her learners a task of writing an email and sending it back to her. That was after teaching them how to draft a business email but the task could not be completed.
This problem reflects a failure in implementing ICT.
The teacher explained that almost all subjects have integrated ICT into teaching and learning of all subjects. Teachers, however, are forced to skip such tasks because they lack the infrastructure, she said.
“We have very few computers in our school and those we have are mostly broken, so you ask the child to do the assignment at home using their parent’s phone and that just ends there,” the teacher said.
Integration of ICT into classroom work was one of the highly touted goals of the CBC.
In fact, the KICD said one goal was to create a child with 21st century skills.
"Subjects like Physical Education (PE) give links that recommend children watch some exercises online but this hardly happens," another teacher said in an interview.
Practical subjects are moderately affected in implementation. Teachers interviewed said implementation is largely done in theory only.
"We do the practical tasks we can and leave those that we cannot," a teacher told the Star.
However, emphasis remains on the traditional subjects that just require a textbook, chalk and pen to implement. Such as Maths, English and Kiswahili.
No communication has been made so far and no arrangements made for schools to get extra help in these subjects.
Another reason these subjects could die naturally is the lack of prominence the government gives them.
In the last two assessments by the Kenya National Examination Council, the focus has been on Mathematics, English, Kiswahili and Science.
This focus, some teachers argue, could have a detrimental effect that would see these core subjects getting more prominence compared to the extra subjects touted in the new curriculum.
(Edited by V. Graham)