Institution integrates green studies in CBC curriculum

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has said that environmental conservation is a Pertinent and Contemporary Issue (PCI) hence its integration into Competency Based Curriculum (CBC).

KICD Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Prof Charles Ong’ondo said that conservation has been incorporated in all learning areas, as part of solving the problem of environmental degradation and mitigating climate change.

“Environment conservation is incorporated in all learning areas under CBC and the exercise has demonstrated some of the key competencies such as communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem-solving,” said Ong’ondo, who spoke from Migori.

Well-rounded students

The occasion gave learners a symbiotic learning experience geared towards producing well-rounded students, which is what the new curriculum seeks to address, with Ong’ondo urging them to continue planting trees and maintaining them.

“In CBC, knowledge, skills and values on tree planting and environmental conservation, is contained from pre-primary and lower primary in the subject environmental activities and at higher levels within social studies, geography and aspects in science and technology,” Ong’ondo emphasised.

Just like Community Service Learning (CSL), tree planting was a practical, field-based experiential learning where learners gain valuable knowledge, skills and insights as they engage with other citizens in the activity.

Learning process

Under CBC, the basic education curriculum framework places parents at the centre of the child’s learning process with the expectation that they support the learner to engage in further learning at home.

In this regard, parental empowerment and engagement are some of the principles in CBC that have been given prominence. Similarly, the parent is guided on various strategies to engage in order to keep the learner motivated and interested in the learning process.

As a government agency charged with the mandate to develop, review and approve programmes, curricula and curriculum support materials that meet international standards for basic and tertiary education and training, the institute also marked Tree Planting Day.

 At the onset of the El Nino rains in mid-October, KICD planted over 10,000 tree seedlings in different learning institutions in Machakos County to increase the forest cover and provide a safe learning environment for learners. Currently, Kenya’s forest cover stands at about 7.4 per cent, which is 3.6 per cent shy of the Constitution requirement of 10 per cent.