CBC to be reviewed in 2023 to fix weaknesses, says PS Jwan

The new curriculum will be reviewed in 2023 to address any challenges that will be identified in the rollout.

Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Jwan on Tuesday said this is in line with the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organisation requirement for nations to review their curriculums after every five years.

The curriculum was rolled out in 2018 after two years of piloting; this means that the lapse of five years will be in 2022.

Jwan said at the end of five years, research will be undertaken to look at the teething problems since the introduction of the curriculum which will inform the review of the school syllabus.

“If you look at the conception of curriculums around the world, most countries review their curriculum on a year to year basis. Naturally, Unesco requires that after every five years we look at what we have introduced, what are the teething problems," he said.

"I’m sure KICD is already doing this because the five years are almost over, we start developing a tool for research, you go to the field, it gives you feedback and use that for review.”

He spoke in Nairobi during an engagement with the Kenya Editors Guild to give an update on the progress on CBC implementation.

Depending on the outcome of the research, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development could review textbooks or the teaching methodology.

Jwan's statement comes amid criticism, uproar and campaigns to halt the implementation of the CBC in favour of the 32-year-old 8-4-4 system.

Parents through social media platforms have raised concerns over unreasonable and ballooning demands shouldered by schools in the execution of teaching and learning.

The Law Society of Kenya last week announced it would move to court to challenge the new education system.

The pioneer class of the new curriculum is currently in Grade 5.

However, Education CS George Magoha dismissed opposition to the curriculum as mere fuss propelled by people with little or no expertise on education matters.

It was also revealed that some 60,000 secondary school teachers will be trained beginning October in preparation for the rollout of the pioneer class of the CBC

They will handle junior secondary school learners in Grades 7 and 8. The first cohort of the CBC is expected to join secondary school in 2023.

It is now clear that teachers who will teach junior secondary school will be drawn from secondary schools.

It was initially thought that the teachers currently handling Standard 7 and 8 classes could have been absorbed and trained to teach junior secondary school.

However, TSC director of quality assurance Rueben Nthamburi on Tuesday said with introduction of pathways in the new curriculum, secondary school teachers are best suited to handle the subjects.

“Remember junior secondary school teachers who will teach at this level will be drawn from the current secondary schools,” Ntamburi said.

JSS will be hosted in secondary schools. However, with the existing challenge in infrastructure and resources, some primary schools will aid the accommodation of JSS.

This arises from the fact that some classes in primary schools will remain empty due to the reduction in the number of classes under CBC.

“The CBC task force observed that some schools will have a surplus in the number of classes, so we will make arrangements to see they are supported, build laboratories and other facilities so that they can host JSS,” said Fatuma Chege, the Principal Secretary of the new State Department for Implementation of Curriculum Reforms. 

Nthamburi on Tuesday said that so far 228,000 teachers have been trained on the new curriculum.

TSC is planning another round of training for 106,000 teachers as the last cohort of teachers in primary schools.

Education Chief Administrative Secretary Sarah Rutto on Tuesday said parents have a role to play in aiding the learning process of their children and they cannot run away from it.

"Some people have raised concern about how an illiterate parent will help their children with their assignment but illiteracy is not synonymous with stupidity," Rutto said.

"You can sit and listen to your child read out, help them how you can."

She spoke in Nairobi on Tuesday during an engagement to give an update on the progress of the CBC implementation.

Rutto called on engagement between school management and parents to ensure reasonable demands in assignments.

Education CS George Magoha at the same time ordered schools to halt the demand for printing CBC content and instead project the content in the classroom.

Magoha further dismissed opposition to the new curriculum noting “the train had left the station and is not going back”.

Edited by Henry Makori