The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has modified Learning Areas for Special Needs learners with special needs at the Pre-Vocational Level under the Stage-Based Curriculum for the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The learners are set to move from the current Intermediate Level to the Pre-Vocational Level in January next year.
The learners will now be taking the following subjects
- Daily Living skills
- Mathematics
- Social and Literacy Skills
- Communication
- Pre-Vocational Skills
These are not the only subjects or learning areas with Music and Movement, Hygiene, Nutrition and Safety, Physical and Health Education, Environmental activities, Social Studies and Religious education.
In Religious Education, the subject will include Christian, Islamic and Hindu Religious Education.
The KICD revealed that the adapted curriculum at the pre-vocational level for learners with special needs is mainly skill-based and it prepares learners with disabilities for basic work skills and introduces them to the pre-requisite skills in various vocational areas. These pre-requisite skills will enable them to identify their abilities and interests in any field.
Learners who tackle the Pre-vocational level are those with intellectual disabilities, the deaf, blindness, autism, severe cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities.
At the end of the pre-vocational level, learners will be required to show knowledge of basic pre-vocational skills using locally available materials, express themselves by manipulating various materials and transform raw materials into functional and aesthetic forms.
The KICD’s Basic Education Curriculum Framework (BECF) was developed in 2017 and it focused on learners’ competencies within their level of ability, aimed at ensuring that learners who have severe disabilities who may not pursue the age-based curriculum had a separate stage-based curriculum.
The stage-based curriculum has four levels. The first level is the Foundation level, then there is the Intermediate level, the Pre-Vocational Level and the Vocational Skills level. In order to move from one level to another, a learner has to achieve set outcomes of learning. Continuous assessment is also used when informing and improving learning.
The availability of well-resourced secondary schools and vocational training centres has been identified as the elephant in the room regarding the transition in SNE.