The Reckless Implementation of CBC
Several schools have been struggling with the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which was introduced by the Kenyan government to replace the 8-4-4 system.
According to education experts, the CBC has some positive aspects, but its implementation has been haphazard, and schools that are not adequately equipped are struggling to cope.
The curriculum has caused controversy, and some experts believe that the government’s decision to implement the curriculum in primary schools has put an enormous strain on resources and infrastructure.
One school, Mwisho wa Lami Primary School, is one such school that is struggling with the CBC. When the government announced that Junior Secondary School (JSS) would be housed in primary schools, the headmaster of Mwisho wa Lami Primary School was not eager to have JSS, as he knew the school was not ready.
Instead, he referred his former Grade six pupils to a neighbouring school, Kizito, which was approved for JSS by county education officials.
However, Kizito’s school, Daraja Mbili Primary, which has two extra classrooms and can host over 45 students for Grade seven, has encountered several challenges.
The government only sent one teacher from the primary section to join JSS with the promise that they would send more teachers. The teacher, who was previously at St Theresa’s Girls School, only trained to teach English and literature.
Now he is expected to teach all 15 JSS subjects. This has caused a significant problem for Kizito’s school, which has two streams and only two teachers. Each teacher is in class from morning to evening, every day.
In addition, the school lacks infrastructure and resources, such as a laboratory. Although the government promised to send books, only two books per subject, for only four subjects, arrived last week.
The two JSS teachers download materials on their phones, but there is no guarantee that their phones have enough space or battery power. Despite these challenges, the two teachers have agreed that they will not leave the class if their phones have no space or the battery runs out.
They will sit there and tell the students stories, but they will not abandon them. Education experts believe that the government needs to take urgent steps to address the challenges facing schools like Kizito’s.
They recommend that the government provides adequate resources and infrastructure to ensure that the curriculum is implemented effectively.
They also advise that the government sends well-trained teachers who are equipped to teach all 15 subjects, instead of sending teachers who are only trained to teach one or two subjects.
Until these issues are resolved, the implementation of the CBC in primary schools will continue to face significant challenges.
The Reckless Implementation of CBC
