KICD CEO Addresses Claims of the CBC Curriculum being overloaded
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Professor Charles Ong’ondo has addressed claims that the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) is overloaded.
He reassured members of the public that the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) does not add any extra burden to Grade 7 learners.
According to Prof Ong’ondo, the number of subjects is the same whether the system is 7-4-2-3 or in the 8-4-4 system of education that is being gradually replaced by the CBC.
Ong’ondo said that even if some of the learning areas are to be reduced the content will still need to be covered in those levels in others subjects so as to meet the 45 hours of learning per week target.
In a recent interview where the Cabinet Secretary for Education Ezekial Machogu flagged off the distribution of Grade 7 textbooks at the KICD premises, he revealed that the government was considering learning areas for JSS students.
CS Machogu said that the government is well aware of the various learning areas and will work on making sure that it will not be a burden to learners.
At the moment, the government has approved 12 compulsory learning areas and learners are expected to choose a maximum of two optional subjects.
Learners in JSS study the following subjects:
- Mathematics
- English
- Kiswahili
- Agriculture
- Integrated Science
- Health Education
- Social Studies
- Religious Education
- Pre-Technical and Pre-Career Education
- Business Studies
- Life Skills
- Sports and Physical Education
Learners are also required to choose at least one and a maximum of two optional subjects from Virtual Arts, Performing Arts, Home Science, Computer Science, Foreign Language (French, German, Arabic), and Indigenous language of Sign Language.
According to the KICD CEO, the JSS curriculum is wide. It has 12 learning areas and several optional subjects. This enables learners to explore and find areas they are interested in before choosing a specific pathway.
He also said that with the introduction of a foreign language, learners will be able to learn about international relations and integration.
Further, he said that the CBC is structured to give learners opportunities of interacting outside of their homes early enough in pre-primary and to socialize through numeracy, literacy and social studies in primary school.
The 12 core subjects and optional assessments are referred to as the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment while the pre-vocation assessment will be called the Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment. Here learners will be assessed in nine subjects.
In the two categories (JSS and pre-vocational), both formative and summative assessments will be conducted.
End of Grade nine (9) national summative assessment and the formative assessment scores will be used in guiding the placement of learners to senior secondary school pathways.
Ong’ondo also revealed that the KICD is mandated to develop curriculum and curriculum support materials and this is then evaluated before the final consumers access them.
He implored stakeholders including the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and the universities Academic Staff Union representatives to be patient as change always takes time to settle.
He also called on those who criticize the CBC saying that the unions should also own any burden that could be in the CBC.
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