Education Cabinet Secretary Professor George Magoha has called out parents of learners undertaking the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) for complaining about assisting their children’s classwork.  

Speaking at Kilifi County on Tuesday, September 21 when he awarded winners of a national primary school essay writing competition, the CS vowed to defend CBC in court asking those against the new curriculum to be sober.  

“Unlike 8-4-4, the system is engineered to help learners identify their strengths and nurture their talents at an early age. Those opposing this system should tell us what alternative they have for the Kenyan child,” the CS said.

Magoha further addressed the complaints of parents who are against CBC stating that while at home, parents are the greatest learning resource school-going children can have. 

“Everything is being done to ensure equity … Parents at home are the greatest teachers. Stop asking that parents must be literate. My mother didn’t go to school but I learned from her and she took part in my classwork,” Magoha said.

The statement by the CS comes after the National Parents Association (NPA) through their chair Nicholas Maiyo swore to defend CBC in court. 

“We thus hope that first: whoever brought this suit bears the interests of our children at heart, is a parent with a child or children in public schools, is our member, spoke to us and we responded to them in earnest and is generally honest and sincere to the cause at hand,” Maiyo said. 

On Friday, September 17, High Court advocate Esther Ang’awa filed a Petition in court challenging the new curriculum. 

Ang’awa through Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Nelson Havi asked the court to suspend the government move of further implementation of the CBC pending the hearing and determination of the petition challenging the same. 

“An order of injunction should be issued restraining the government from further implementing the Kenya Competence-Based Curriculum introduced through the basic Basic Education Curriculum Framework,2017 and Sessional Paper 1 of 2019 on Policy Framework for Reforming Education and Training for Sustainable Development in place of the existing system and structure of basic education (8-4-4) codified under section 41 of the Basic Education Act no 14 of 2013 and the existing curriculum in respect thereto,” the court papers read in part.