CBC System Affecting Culture and Traditions, Parents Protest
Following President William Ruto’s directive to organize a task force to examine the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), stakeholders, teachers, and parents have expressed their opinions.
The new curriculum has been the topic of debate, with experts holding divergent opinions. Parents didn’t like that the new education system was expensive, but they also didn’t like how it changed the culture.
Several guardians told the CBC task force that, compared to the 8-4-4 system, the curriculum went against traditional ways of doing things.
The task team members who visited Meru on Tuesday revealed that the circumcision of young boys was among the issues raised.
“Most of them say the CBC is good but it needs to be reviewed, an issued raised is that of grade six pupils and circumcision,” one of the members stated.
According to the parents, it is uncommon for boys to enroll in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) without having been circumcised.
In the 8-4-4 system, students completed the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) in eighth grade before undergoing the rite of passage.
Additionally, the task force underlined the burdensome cost of CBC practicals for rural parents.
Among the concerns voiced by parents was the alleged inadequacy of teachers’ training in terms of their qualifications.
According to the task force, a few teachers were chosen for training from each school. This was one of the concerns voiced by Education CS Ezekiel Machogu during his vetting by Parliament.
“My solution-driven approach prioritises retraining teachers to master the CBC basics and improve the system, which parents, teachers and stakeholders perceive to be expensive and time-consuming,” Machogu explained.
In addition, parents bemoaned the dearth of learning tools, which drove them to be inventive.
They advised the task team to delay the curriculum’s full implementation until the required structures are in place.
Parents voiced additional concerns over the safety of the students as they transition to boarding institutions. They maintained that some pupils were too young to attend boarding schools.
