The ongoing debate on the competency-based curriculum cannot go unchallenged, especially after scrutinising the conversation's dimensions.
The CBC is a noble idea that intends to develop a holistic citizen grounded in knowledge, skills, values and attitudes.
On the current attacks on the CBC from all corners, I believe the narrative is driven more by misinformation than facts and reality.
Therefore, such conversations should be driven more by educationists.
Homework, which, ironically, seems to be the bone of contention, is a vital tool for giving the learners a chance to practise what they learn and do self or peer evaluation.
Imagine a driving school where a tutor holds the wheel all the time? How practical is this in a realistic learning environment?
A few teachers and parents have the wrong notion that if their learners are not given enough homework to keep them busy, they will be idle and up to mischief.
Most parents will do anything, including paying for expensive extra classes during holidays, to be assured that their teenagers are in safe hands.
This is old-school thinking and should be discouraged. Learners need ample time to be free, explore, plan and network with their peers as it is a crucial part of their holistic growth.
However, homework in monitoring, evaluating, and giving realistic feedback to teachers, learners, and parents cannot be emphasised enough.
Our conversation on this factor should bridge the old school thinking and the contemporary approaches, that is moderation of the take-home assignments to serve their intended pedagogical objectives instead of babysitting for dollar-chasing parents.
Let us not forget the serious business of building a better country.
It is surprising that Kenyans praise Kigali and other cities for being well organised but chastise the curriculum for using a practical cleaning task involving learners cleaning up their compounds and markets.
When we see something good, say a well-constructed house, we ask for the fundis number, get a good mechanic from references from friends, and judge them by the outcomes of their hands, not the papers they got from their schools.
This is repeated across all areas of our lives, and it has always been since the begging of time. CBC is in motion here, and it is very much alive and kicking in our day-to-day interaction.
Our homes and communities are not living in isolation from the rest of the world. It is every parent's dream to get the best out of their children.
The resources we interact with daily such as the trees, shrubs, livestock, other people, water bodies, to name but a few are enormous.
Asking a learner to get a leaf from any tree within their environment and then make a sketch of the same in their books is not resource-intensive.
This simple task only requires a piece of paper, charcoal for sketching, the leaf, and the learner's imagination under the guidance of an adult or peer.
It is not lost on us that different parents with different abilities and statuses will hype up the whole task and possibly order a set of 72 crayons from Dubai, a dozen leaves from the Amazon forest, and hire an extra tutor for each of the different shades of crayons, going all out to get the best for their children.
Let us have a candid conversation on CBC, give educationists a chance to steer this conversation as we critique and share to make things better as we go forwards.
Let us exercise patience and realise that we cannot plant seeds today and expect to get a bountiful harvest the next day. It is a process that involves all of us to panel beat and shape over time.
The writer is a career educationist, curriculum developer and researcher
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
