A delegation of 11 Zambian lawmakers arrived in the country, on Friday, May 5, to benchmark Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu welcomed the delegation, impressed by Kenya’s education system.
“About 8 million Zambian children are not in school, saying it was the aspiration of Zambia that the children have access to free and quality education,” noted Twaambo Elvis Mutinta, the leader of the delegation.
The delegation comprised members of the Zambian parliamentary committee on Education, Science, and Technology.
Contextually, Zambia is in the process of implementing free primary education. They came to benchmark the legal and financial framework that has allowed Kenya to provide free primary education since 2003.
They also wanted to know the challenges the government has faced since free primary education was inaugurated.
The CS noted that the government was undertaking reforms in education to improve access to inclusive quality education for all children.
Additionally, the CS stated that the 2010 Constitution made it compulsory for parents and guardians to take their children to school.
“If you fail to take your child to school, state officials pay you a visit,” Machogu told the delegation.
Historically, Kenya has been providing free primary education since 2003 under the Mwai Kibaki administration.
In January 2019, another Zambian delegation led by their then Education Permanent Secretary Felix Phiri.
“We have observed the good things that you’re doing; for example, we’ve realized that you have already attained a one-to-one book-to-pupil ratio and we have also seen how you are embracing the use of technology for the learners,” noted Phiri at the time.
Kenya's CBC is under review, with the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms proposing several changes. Among them was lowering entry grades to teachers training colleges from C+ to C, with exceptions to marginalised regions whose entry grade would be further lowered to C-(minus).
The task force also wanted university fees increased from Ksh16,000 to Ksh52,000 and a waiver on debts owed to statutory bodies.
