Confusion as Amina changes tune on new education curriculum

Education CS Amina Mohamed greets Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Wilson Sossion during the release of the 2018 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results in Nairobi. [David Njaaga, Standard]

Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed appeared to throw the country into more confusion with yet another revised date for the roll out of the new curriculum now set for January 1, 2019.

In her latest statement on the progress of the implementation of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) delivered yesterday, Amina caved in to pressure to move the roll out closer.

Contrary to her remarks last week, that this had been pushed to 2020, the CS said the new 2-6-6-3 curriculum will be rolled out in nursery, Grade One, Two and Three in January.

Amina had announced that the country was not ready to accommodate the CBC saying resources and gaps in teacher training were challenges.

But yesterday, the CS said she had been assured of support by relevant government agencies and stakeholders.

“In light of these developments and assurances, the Ministry of Education wishes to announce that it will commence a methodical and carefully organised phased roll out of CBC effective January 1, 2019 in Pre-primary I, II and Grades 1,2 and 3,” said Amina.

This new resolve was reached after a meeting with the steering committee which held in-depth deliberations with relevant stakeholders including Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, Teachers Service Commission, Kenya National Examinations Council, Kenya Publishers Association (KPA), Kenya Secondary School Heads Association and Kenya Primary School Heads Association.

However, the CS did not divulge details on a clear cut road map on how teachers and pupils will go about the new curriculum.

“Early in the New Year, the Ministry of Education will issue a detailed roll out plan and timetable for the other grades that will lead to the last cohort of students sitting for their KCPE and KCSE in 2027,” said Amina.

Last week, the CS indicated that the country was not in any position to roll out the new curriculum which meant the 8-4-4 system of education was to continue until 2020.

Among the reasons was lack of books and funds as it emerged that at least Sh365 billion will be needed to scrap off 8-4-4.

Amina then agreed that the process of rolling out the CBC was ‘a little bit rushed’ as it failed to factor in key issues that are now arising.

Will be extended

“The process did not carefully consider resource constraints and was not given the necessary strategic interventions at the inception stage,” she said.

These are the same questions stakeholders in the education sector like Kenya National Union of Teachers led by Wilson Sossion who have been against the ‘rushed’ rolling out of the curriculum have been raising. The verdict then was that the roll out of the new curriculum will be delayed by a year, to allow one more year for piloting.

In her statement yesterday, just like last week, Amina said the CBC National Pilot of the 2-6-6-3 curriculum will be extended for one more year to allow alignment in implementation, particularly, intensive in-service teacher training.

“The National wide roll out will take place in January 2020,” she said.

This now brings more confusion if the said roll out in pre-primary I and II and Grades 1, 2 and 3 set for January 2019 will be actual roll out as she said or a continuation of the pilot phase.

Some 470 schools were selected to pilot the curriculum, with the the nationwide roll out expected to cover 33,000 schools.

At least 170,000 teachers have been trained in the CBC.

KPA said they have already printed 297 titles of books ready for the pre-primary I and II and Grades 1, 2 and 3.

The Association revealed that they have in total 14 million books in store. “For Grade Four, we are waiting for a curriculum design which we shall get by March 2019 and the books will be published in three months,” said KPA Chair Lawrence Njagi.

In the 8-4-4 system, which has been criticised as academic oriented, a pupil spends eight years in primary, four in secondary and another four in tertiary college.

And in the 2-6-6-3 system, which seeks to equip pupils with competency hands on skills, a pupil will spend six years in lower primary, six in secondary and three in tertiary college.