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Kenya Institute of Curriculum (KICD) director Charles Ong’ondo yesterday dismissed concerns that the new education system is overloaded.

Ong’ondo said Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) subjects are not more than in the 8-4-4 system, saying some learning areas are meant to help learners advance as they progress.

“The JSS will give learners an opportunity to experience that which will address the goals of education. The goals are eight and if you start unpacking them, for instance, the one that says learners should be able to communicate effectively and respect other people’s culture that is communication. That gives you English and  Kiswahili,” he explained.

“When you start unlocking all the goals of education then you find that they will give you a broad range of learning areas,” he added.

The director said the concept of international consciousness has been covered through foreign languages while health and nutrition are critical for purposes of managing different life instances.

“Kenya is in a global community and we have to give learners enough learning areas so that even if they go abroad, or any other country in Africa, they are not going to be told they did not cover some learning areas and have to do it before they progress,” said Ong’ondo (pictured).

He said there is a number of lessons that should be covered in the curriculum and in the five days a week, learners have to be occupied for 45 hours a week.

“Even if we were to reduce those learning areas it means that, that content has to be put in another subject so that we still have the 45 hours that we do so I want to really plead with Kenyans that we have not overloaded that curriculum.

He said that even in the 8-4-4 system, there were optional subjects like woodwork, metal work, drawing and design and Home Science, out of which learners would only take one.

At pre-primary and primary level, Ong’ondo said, learning areas are packaged into what learners can associate with but as they get to junior secondary they get more.