• It is indisputable that CBC is infrastructure intensive because it is a practical based curriculum.
• The current squabbles between CS Magoha and KNUT boss Wilson Sossion are not solving anything.
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The Competency-Based Curriculum is good for the country, but its implementation should not be hurried.
If the new 2-6-3-3-3 curriculum is rolled out now and in the manner, it is being bulldozed, the intended objective may not be realised because the country does not have the capacity to implement it fully.
One of the major setbacks that will hit CBC hard is that teachers are not only ready to teach the new curriculum, but they are not able to do so.
That is why they are opposed to it. Tutors are the key people in the implementation because they interact with the learners on a daily basis.
They will, therefore, determine the success of the curriculum at a great length. It is, therefore, an attempt in vain to implement CBC if the teachers are not ready or have not embraced it.
The teachers aren’t ready because they haven’t been involved in decision-making, especially in designing it. They have not been prepared adequately on what is required of them.
They also may not have the required competency and skills to teach it. The majority, if not all, of these teachers, are products of the 8-4-4 system. So, to force them to teach CBC without enough training is to allow a blind person to lead 25 blind persons in the class.
The new curriculum demands a ratio of one teacher to 25 learners. If the one teacher to 40 learners in the 8-4-4 system has not been achieved, how will the CBC tutor-student ration be attained?
It will remain only in paper but in the real sense, teachers will grapple with overcrowded classes. In fact, it will be worse because education is free in public schools.
This calls for the hiring of more teachers before the rollout.
According to the curriculum developers, CBC does not have examinations, but assessments. This is another hurdle because assessments are harder to conduct than examinations.
For example, it is not easy to correctly identify that a learner is good at music, agriculture, woodwork, football etc. This calls for extensive training on the part of teachers to enable them to assess learners well and cultivate the identified talents.
It is indisputable that CBC is infrastructure intensive because it is a practical curriculum.
Schools are supposed to have well-equipped laboratories, learning aids and other facilities. As we speak, some schools do not have classes and desks.
In other places, tree shades serve as classes, while in others, stones are desks. This is evident that there is no infrastructure to facilitate smooth implementation of CBC.
Therefore, it is absurd to roll out a curriculum that aims at cultivating talents if some schools do not have classes and desks.
The current squabbles between Education CS George Magoha and Knut secretary general Wilson Sossion are not solving anything.
They both have reasonable points worth considering.
It is thus prudent for all the stakeholders to sit and deliberate on the keys elements that will aid in the smooth transition from 8-4-4 system to the CBC.
Successful transitions are not rushed. They are gradual processes that bring on board all the necessary factors to ensure the intended aim is achieved.