The new education system in the country – The competency Based Curriculum (CBC) has been a subject of discussion among many Kenyans, especially parents.
Some of the parents have expressed concerns over the cost of the new system that is set to replace the old 8-4-4.
Since 2017, the government has been rolling out CBC in a gradual transition that will see the first batch of learners join a junior secondary school in January 2023.
But the question of whether the learners now in Grade 6 will proceed to junior secondary now lies in the hands of the new administration.
While the Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha has said everything is set to welcome the first junior secondary school class, President William Ruto has now indicated that that might not be a guarantee – at least as things stand now.
In his maiden address as the fifth President after he was sworn in on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, Ruto said he will soon be establishing a task force that will be mandated to collect public views that will inform his government on the future of CBC.
“There is a robust conversation that is ongoing on education and in particular implementation of CBC curriculum. Public participation is critical in this matter,” said the new Head of State.
“I will establish an education reform taskforce in the presidency which will be launched in coming weeks that will collect views from all players in line with constitutional demand of public participation,” he added.
There have been concerns over the country’s preparedness to host a double intake in January 2023 – with the 8-4-4 pupils now in class 8 also set to join form one.
Anxiety about double intake
This is an issue President Ruto says his administration is alive too – with anxiety building among parents and education stakeholders.
He has however assured that before the transition happens, his government will have taken a stand on whether to proceed with CBC or not.
“I assure all that there will be a solution to the matter before then,” Ruto said.
There has been a divided opinion among education stakeholders on the question of whether to retain and scrap CBC.
KNUT Chepkoilel branch Executive Secretary Sammy Bor recently asked the Kenya Kwanza government to be keen on handling education matters.
“A lot of care needs to be taken so that children are not taken for a ride. We are talking about the life of our children. The government must be very careful in handling the issue of education,” Bor who is also the Rift Valley representative to the giant teachers union National Executive Committee (NEC) said.
