Fred Matiang’i promises major reforms in education sector

Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi’i Wednesday said the education sector would undergo major reforms in the new year.

Dr Matiang’i said the reform process, which will see an overhaul of the curriculum, will get under way in early 2016, setting in motion what could be the most comprehensive re-organisation of the country’s education curriculum in recent years.

The changes, which will be undertaken by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, through the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), are expected to address mismatches between the curriculum and the needs of the market and also come up with new strategies for gauging the abilities of students.

“The reform will address key issues such as ethical values, equity, diversity, equality of opportunity and excellence for all learners,” said Matiang’i Wednesday during the release of the 2015 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) in Nairobi.

He revealed that President Uhuru Kenyatta had directed that the reforms be undertaken as soon as possible, and called upon Kenyans to give their views on the shape they would like the reforms to take.

“The President has directed that we do it comprehensively in January. We would like the curriculum reviewed in this country. It is going to be a comprehensive process,” added Matiang’i.

“I wish to therefore call on all stakeholders to give their submissions and information to KICD so that the process is participatory and inclusive as envisaged by the Constitution,” he said.

Kenya’s education system has often come under criticism for failing to address the needs of the markets, with millions of students finding themselves ill equipped to meet the demands of employers.

The current education system has also been blamed for promoting rote learning. Despite these challenges, the process of aligning Kenya’s education curriculum with market needs has been slow, with successive CSs promising much but delivering little.

“I want every stakeholder to prepare themselves for the conversation. We want to come up with a more responsive system to our needs so that we move together as a modern country,” the CS said.

The Government has often came under fire for being slow in reforming education sector, despite constitutional requirements that it should be aligned to the requirements of the supreme law.

Kenya’s Constitution recognises education as a basic human need, and should have the ability to instil national values and life skills in learners. Article 55 1 (a) anticipates that the state will take measures to ensure that the youth access relevant education and training.

In his address, Matiang’i also enumerated a numbers of policy issues including undertaking an audit of challenges that were experienced in the administration of 2015 KCPE exams.