President William Ruto is poised to unveil the highly anticipated Competency-Based Curriculum report in the second week of July, according to multiple sources with insider information on the forthcoming education reforms.
The Kenya Kwanza regime, which assumed power in September 2022, promised to address concerns surrounding the curriculum, acknowledging that it was financially strenuous to both parents and the government.
Ruto assigned the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms the responsibility of addressing the comprehensive and multifaceted cost implications of the report. This step aimed to restore the confidence of stakeholders who had raised concerns about its initiation.
Initially, Ruto's administration had vowed to totally overhaul the CBC, launched by President (Rtd) Uhuru Kenyatta, but shelved the plan after holding extensive consultations which made it obvious that introducing a new system would derail students and waste taxpayers' money.
Once it was established that the Kenya Kwanza administration would be sticking with CBC, Ruto reiterated the position held by Uhuru and Former Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha (the late). He affirmed that CBC is crucial in improving the educational landscape and equipping learners to adapt to modern challenges, but acknowledged the curriculum needs some adjustments.
The taskforce headed by Professor Raphael Munavu presented the report to Ruto at State House in February 2023. The report is set to be unveiled later this month.
Among the key changes proposed by the report include;
Abolishment of National Schools
One of the notable recommendations was abolishing the categorization system that saw schools classified as national, extra-county, county, and sub-county institutions.
Instead, the task force suggested a shift towards identifying schools based on career pathways. Students will thus choose schools that align with their career aspirations.
Abolishment of National Exams
Stakeholders also pushed for abolishing the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). The decisive primary school examinations will be phased out in November, 2023.
Going forward, students will pursue three specialisation areas namely; Arts and Sport Science, Social Sciences and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
“For the STEM pathway, students can pursue pure, applied, technical and engineering sciences and career and technology studies.
"60 per cent of learners in a school should be enrolled in STEM and 25 per cent in social sciences. The rest in arts,” Indimuli Kahi, Kenya Secondary School Head Teachers Association chairman, told Kenyans.co.ke adding that the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), provided a detailed roadmap as the country prepares to phase out KCPE.
Rename KNEC
The CBC task force wants the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) to be renamed Kenya National Assessment Council (KNAC) as the new curriculum is based on assessments.
Reduction of Subjects and hosting of junior secondary schools
The task force proposed that the junior secondary schools, namely Grade 7, Grade 8, and Grade 9, be domiciled in the existing primary schools and that Grade 6 assessment should not be used for placement of learners.
It also recommended the Ministry of Education to reduce the subjects for Junior Secondary School students.
Currently, students in Junior High School are expected to study 14 subjects while those in upper primary are expected to study 10.
Demotion of Headteachers
Headteachers who oversaw primary schools hosting Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) risk being demoted by December 30. This was after the task force proposed merging preschool, primary schools and JSS under one principal.
The principal will also be accountable for funds disbursed by the government. This proposal seeks to transfer appointing power from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to the Ministry of Education.
Retraining of Teachers
One of the concerns raised by parents regarding the CBC was that teachers were not properly guided on its implementation. Reports alleged that devious teachers used the curriculum to extort parents through practical lessons.
In line with the grievances raised, the task force proposed that teachers who wish to continue teaching in primary and secondary schools should be retrained for one year.
The mandatory programme will ensure the teachers align with the CBC changes and adhere to set guidelines.
