New curriculum will nurture self-reliant citizens

Kingori Choto       

The Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) being implemented is certainly one of the most radical attempts at reforming the education system in Kenya.

Though not the first such effort, it marks a bold shift with its singular focus on how learners can apply the knowledge acquired in school. This is a departure from the largely exam-oriented approach of previous systems. 

From the Ominde Commission in 1963, there have been major attempts at revamping the country’s education sector.

The commission led to the introduction of the 7-4-2-3 system to replace the colonial learning system. With time, however, the system came under intense criticism as being too academic and detached from the market needs. 

As the Gachathi Report of 1976 noted: “The problem (of unemployment) is aggravated by annual outputs of school-leavers whose numbers continue to swell following the enormous expansion of education.”

A new learning curriculum was required, one that was attuned to the country’s ever-evolving social and economic needs.   

Then came the 8-4-4 system in the mid-80s, seeking to redress the weaknesses of the 7-4-2-3 by producing learners capable of pursuing opportunities in entrepreneurship and the informal sector.

But like its predecessor, the 8-4-4 system was strongly faulted for being too cumbersome and exam-oriented. 

Despite several taskforces set up to reform it, 8-4-4 lingered on for three decades, with disastrous results if the high numbers of unemployed and unemployable school graduates seen today are anything to go by. 

Perhaps, the worst legacy of the 7-4-2-3 and 8-4-4 systems is in the failure to focus on learners’ unique abilities and talents.

It focused too much on the individual without equipping them with tools to become responsible citizens in future.

No wonder corruption, negative ethnicity, violence and lack of patriotism has become endemic. People were schooled to put individual needs above everything else. 

The two learning systems were also deemed as coming short of the education demands of the Vision 2030, the national development blueprint. Building an industrial, middle-income country requires diverse competencies from a social and technical perspective. 

The CBC, in my view, aims seeks to remedy this situation. It meets the aspirations of Kenyans as espoused in the National Goals of Education.

The new curriculum was the result of a series of studies, notably a needs assessment review conducted by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development in 2016.  

At the core of CBC is equipping the learner with the ability to apply knowledge, skills and values taught in schools to solve life problems. It is a learner-centred system.

Unlike previous systems, it is not just about what the student knows but also what they are capable of doing with what they have learnt for personal growth and national development. 

Whereas the 7-2-4-6 and 8-4-4 systems prepared students for traditional careers, CBC is heavy on talent-oriented disciplines as well as non-traditional vocations that require unique skill sets.  

But more importantly, and this where CBC is distinctly innovative compared to previous systems, is that it seeks to shape responsible citizens by inculcating values like patriotism, integrity, peace and social justice.

CBC goes a step further to inculcate skills to enable learners to make a positive and meaningful contribution to the community. 

For instance, learners will be required to undertake a mandatory course in community life skills when they enter senior school (current secondary level).

As I write, grade 3 pupils in several schools have already taken part in cleanup activities as part of the process of honing their community skills. This kind of activities has been integrated into other learning areas.

CBC ensures learners’ individual needs are addressed, giving opportunities to learners with special needs to also acquire competencies and skills at their own pace.

Other valuable competencies CBC seeks to impart include communication, critical thinking, creativity and digital literacy It, therefore, goes beyond rote learning to pass examinations and get a ‘good job’. —The writer is a lawyer and public affairs, consultant. kingorichoto@gmail.com