Meet Teachers Implementing Kenyan CBC In Neighbouring Country
Kenya’s education sector has been recognized as one of the most progressive in Africa, producing academic giants of international renown.
Many African countries have visited the country on benchmarking missions in order to improve their education systems.
Elm School, located in the heart of Hargeisa, Somaliland, is leading the way in the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which was introduced in Kenya in 2017.
Since its inception in 2007, the school has enrolled over 2,400 children in primary and secondary school, with its popularity attributed to the school’s Kenyan teachers.
Due to the high admission rate, the school now offers classes in two shifts to accommodate the ever-growing student population.
A portion of the students at the institution attend classes in the morning, while the remainder attend in the afternoon.
Silvia Nzilani, the school principal, stated during an interview with Citizen TV on Wednesday, May 24, that CBC was one of the best curriculums on the continent, which informed their decision to hire over 80 Kenyan tutors to help implement it in Somaliland.
According to Nzilani, all Kenyan teachers have been trained and are registered with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
She did, however, mention that they integrated CBC with the 8-4-4 system due to the massive resources required to fully implement the new educational system.
“Our curriculum is Kenyan and that is why we have the Kenyan staff. We got into CBC just like the Kenyan system, but we do an integrated system.
“We cannot fit in the kind of CBC because of the materials and everything required there. But we integrated 8-4-4 and CBC,” she stated.
Adapting to Somali culture was a major challenge for Kenyan teachers at the institution. However, they stated that the local community was very welcoming to them due to Kenya’s track record in the education sector.
Antoninah Anyango, a math teacher, described her culture shock upon deployment, adding that they must fit into Somali culture in order to effectively communicate with the students.
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Aside from the teaching staff, the school has sought Kenyan workers in other departments, such as the human resources department, which is also led by a Kenyan.
The efforts of the Kenyans who run the institution have been recognized, as the Accreditation Service for International Schools named the school one of the most outstanding international schools in Africa (ASIC).
