Education CS George Magoha is staring at a crisis in schools after the implementation of the Competency-Based-Curriculum (CBC) commenced. The CS is racing against time to ensure teachers adapt to the changes, schools are upgraded and create solutions to double intake puzzles.
The Education Ministry requires over 60,000 teachers to handle the double intake of students as two groups of learners in primary schools will join secondary in the same year.
Grade 4 students, the first batch under the CBC curriculum will join secondary schools in January 2023 as Junior Secondary School (JSS) learners also known as Grade 7. At the same time, the Class 6 students will be enrolling for Form 1 under the old syllabus 8-4-4 curriculum.
Another double intake will be witnessed in 2024 and 2025 when the current Class 5 students (the last batch of the 8-4-4 system) join high school.
However, as Magoha seeks to employ new teachers, he also needs to ensure that those hired need to be familiar with the CBC curriculum which is based on learners embracing creative thinking and problem-solving skills. Teachers also need to monitor the character and behaviour of students and aid them in choosing careers.
Most of the current Grade 4 students will also be aged 12 years when joining Junior Secondary School (JSS) and teachers would be required to be able to handle younger learners as compared to before when students join high school at ages 14 or 15.
Magoha also requires teachers in new learning areas such as visual arts, sports science, technical engineering and mathematics (STEM) and other digital courses. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has so far spent Ksh1.8 billion to train 150,0000 primary school teachers on CBC with the training of their secondary colleagues yet to take place.
TSC, on Monday February 15, changed the model through which teachers apply for promotions and transfers and also raised concern over the soaring number of teachers seeking employment. CEO Nancy Macharia stated that teachers would apply online, cancelling all manual applications.
"If this rising number of teachers seeking employment is not tamed, then the public confidence in the teaching profession will be eroded," Macharia said adding that TSC had already registered nearly 400,000 teachers who were not yet employed.
The double intake also means that the ministry needs to upgrade schools, build new classes, laboratories and halls that are suitable for digital and advanced courses under the CBC curriculum.
In 2020, Magoha shelved a plan which required parents and education stakeholders to bear costs in the refurbishment of schools. He also urged school heads to desist from sending students home over school fees.
It has no yet been ascertained whether parents will share the burden with the government under the CBC cost changes.
