The National Parents Association Chairperson Nicholas Maiyo has revealed that the association is ready to defend the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in Court.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Nelson Havi challenged the implementation of the CBC challenged in court but the national parents’ association have pledged to support the new curriculum in that case.
Following a meeting with other stakeholders in the education fraternity at the Kenya Insitute of Curriculum Development (KICD), Mr Maiyo revealed that the association represents more than ten (10) million children in schools across the country.
“We are concerned about the judicial decision that might disrupt the education of our children. We will now be a part of the case because parents represent 10 million children in public primary schools,” said the national Parents’ Association chair.
The President of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Nelson Havi had promised to file a petition against the Competency-Based Curriculum and eventually delivered on his promise.
The LSK president had revealed that he had heard the cries of Kenyan parents and promised to challenge the new curriculum in court.
In Havi’s view, the implementation of the new system should be stopped to save the parents from the burden they are facing amid complaints of the system being costly as well as how its adoption has been done.
A section of parents and guardians had taken to social media to voice their reservations on the CBC. The way it was allowed in schools has also received criticism with some Kenyans claiming that unlike the 8-4-4, the CBC did not go through the due process of extensive consultations among all stakeholders in the education fraternity.
Others channelled their reservations saying that the CBC has very tight deadlines for assignments.
The money that is also required to purchase learning materials either primary or assistive materials has also been one of the complaints voiced via social media channels.
The number of assignments given to learners has also been a sticking point with many a critic saying that they are too engaging and more than often forced parents and guardians to intervene and help out.
Despite all these complaints, Cabinet Secretary for Education Magoha has stood firm and insisted that the CBC is here to stay and its implementation will not be halted.
The CS reiterated his stance saying that despite the complaints. The government will not go back on the implementation of the CBC.
Prof Magoha dismissed the concerns saying even the printing people are talking about is not mandatory and implored teachers to be innovative and creative to utilize what is at their disposal to keep the ‘CBC train going’.
CS Magoha acknowledged that the CBC will not be perfect and any issues will be addressed in due course.
“For sure the CBC is not perfect but we are also aware that the CBC train left the station in 2018,” said Magoha.
The KICD also came to the rescue of the CBC saying that the CBC utilizes readily available materials for teaching and learning.
While addressing how teachers have been prepared to handle the new curriculum, the CS said that more than 228,000 primary school teachers have undergone training while 6,000 secondary school teachers are set to undergo training beginning March/April in 2022.
The Principal Secretary for the State Department for Curriculum Reforms on her part addressed concerns over the status of schools saying that even though schools will retain their status as either national, extra-county, county or sub-county, what really matters is what learners and teachers do within the classroom.
She argued that student outcomes will definitely outweigh the status of schools.
The implementation of the CBC began in January 2019 at Pre-Primary I and II. Grades 1,2 and 3 soon followed with the first learners of the CBC currently in Grade 5.