Mystery Behind the New CBC Curriculum

When the topic of the new Competency-Based Curriculum CBC is raised, no one in the country can clearly tell the next sure move. Sometimes even our entrusted government doesn’t seem certain on whether they have made the right decision in introducing it or not.

Different issues have been put on the table regarding this new Curriculum. The core issue being against its implementation. Those opposing the new curriculum cite immaturity as the major concern of the project.

Former CS Amina Shocking Press Statement on CBC Curriculum

The CBC seemed to have survived all the censures until the former Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed made a shocking press statement on the 15th of December 2018. She stated that the curriculum’s roll-out was going to be postponed for a year longer.

Parents had somewhat adapted to the new curriculum as some of the methods used had seemed to work in most of the schools until Ambassador Amina’s pronouncement. This announcement had come as a surprise to everybody. Amina’s statement had just followed Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang’s assurance to Kenyans that the government was ready to inaugurate the CBC in the previous week. Kipsang, however, had cautioned that it needed to be well thought out.

Is the New CBC Curriculum Truly Meant for Kenyans?

One would wonder; is this new curriculum truly meant for Kenyans? This was the second time it had been put at a standstill and what’s worse is that the former CS had not given a solid date on the expected January roll-out which goes without saying that it might undergo changes in between.

The saddest thing is that our children are at the center of all this. It was so unfortunate to introduce them to a new system for a couple of months only to rethink the decision thereafter. The CS stated that the major reason for this was for teachers’ infrastructure to be put in place as only a small number of them had attended training. This was definitely supposed to be the first issue to be tackled before commencement but anyway, spilled milk cannot be scooped.

Poor Planning and Premature Execution of CBC Curriculum

Among the other reasons provided then that necessitated deferment included; not having received reports on the level of preparedness from the system’s external evaluators; parents did not seem much comfortable with the idea; poor planning of the curriculum and hurriedly presenting it to schools.

What would be called “maajabu ya musa” is the fact that about three months after the trial period for CBC had begun; the Secretary-General of KNUT Wilson Sossion had begun boycotting the idea.  Sossion said that the Ministry of Education and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development KICD should dangle the implementation of the system and instead revert to our older 8-4-4 system. He claimed that our education system was not ready for the change and that teachers had not received training based on contents and teaching methods. He further stated that some education stakeholders had not been involved in both the implementation and public participation regarding the new curriculum.

The ‘Irony’ of KNUT Boycott of CBC Teacher Training

As we speak, our very down to earth Current education CS Prof. George Magoha is at loggerheads with the same man. Sossion was boycotting the CBC teachers training which is quite bizarre as he had raised the lack of training as a reason to defer the new curriculum take off.  Now that the training is here, Sossion is not for it.

A notable observation is that we have had three cabinet secretaries since the ideology of the new CBC curriculum was brought on board. We should thus anticipate more.

This is when you truly wonder; is this curriculum meant for us? Or are we just getting ahead of ourselves? Or who is fooling the other?