Performance wellness: The key to successful CBE implementation
By Maurice Okoth, June 25, 2025As Kenya advances the implementation of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) at the senior school level, the role of school managers/principals will become increasingly demanding and central. These individuals are no longer just administrators; they are pivotal change agents driving a transformative curriculum.
Leading successfully under CBE will require more than subject-matter expertise. School managers must possess performance wellness.
Performance wellness refers to the capacity of school managers to strike a sustainable balance between personal well-being and professional demands.
It is a comprehensive state of mental, emotional, physical, and professional well-being that allows them to lead effectively under pressure, within the high-stakes, fast-changing environment introduced by CBE.
One of the most important dimensions of performance wellness is mental and emotional well-being.
The CBE shift introduces structural, pedagogical, and operational changes that will create high stress levels. Managers must remain emotionally stable and mentally strong to inspire staff, manage resistance, and maintain focus.
Equally critical is physical health. Long hours and poor lifestyle habits can affect productivity. Regular exercise, proper nutrition, and adequate sleep will be crucial for sustaining energy and avoiding burnout.
Another key area is professional development. With CBE demanding integration of digital tools, innovative pedagogy, and diversified pathways, school leaders must stay informed and skilled. Continuous training will enhance confidence and decision-making.
Work-life balance also matters. Without it, leaders risk emotional exhaustion, reduced effectiveness, and damaged relationships both at home and at school.
Despite the importance of wellness, school managers will face a multitude of challenges during CBE rollout. Chief among them will be work overload, with the responsibility of coordinating both the old and new systems, overseeing pathway implementation, and leading reforms.
These overlapping duties will likely result in decision fatigue and burnout.
Poor performance wellness affects not just the individual manager but the entire school ecosystem. It impairs decision-making, decreases staff morale, and risks entrenching a negative school culture.
Most importantly, it jeopardises effective CBE implementation, as a depleted leader cannot drive curriculum change across diverse pathways.
Addressing the wellness challenges facing school managers requires a three-tiered strategy. At the personal level, managers should adopt time management, prioritise self-care, and seek peer support to build resilience and reduce stress.
Institutionally, schools need to embed wellness into their culture through staff wellness programmes, peer mentoring, and wellness committees.
At the policy level, the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission must implement mental health policies, provide stress leave, and incorporate wellness training in leadership development.
National support through funding, helplines, and audits will further institutionalise wellness, ensuring school leaders are equipped to sustain CBE implementation.
The writer is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Eldoret, a higher education Expert, and a quality assurance consultant