Magoha picks team to steer new curriculum talks

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has appointed a nine-member committee to prepare for August’s curriculum reforms conference on the implementation of Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

In what is now an indicator that the government will not go back to the 8-4-4 system, Prof Magoha wants the team chaired by Kenya Institute of Childhood Development chairperson Sara Ruto to document gains in CBC for pre-primary one and two and Grade One, Two and Three. The committee which also comprises John Kimotho, Reuben Thamburi, Ann Ngatia, Ruth Mugambi, Mary Gaturu, Silvester Mulambe, David Njengere and Samuel Siringi is supposed to document challenges experienced so far and make proposals on strategies to strengthen the 2-6-3-3-3 system.

The CS on Tuesday said his ministry and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) have so far trained 91,000 teachers on how to handle pupils and teach the new curriculum and had distributed 12 million CBC books.

Magoha committed to personally supervise the use and availability of the books once the distribution ends on May 30.

No surrender

“Over the next few days and months, I wish to assure the public that we will do everything to ensure we do not drop the ball in CBC implementation. No amount of opposition, real or imagined, will make us back-pedal on implementing the curriculum, which the government is convinced will mean well for our future generations,” he said.

The appointments came even as Kenya National Union of Teachers opposed to the new curriculum. Secretary General Wilson Sossion on Thursday urged teachers to revert back to teaching 8-4-4 system.

“We are not going to work with a minister who is not respecting us. Let Kenyans know where there is smoke, there is fire. We are not going to give up tomorrow,” said Mr Sossion.

Meanwhile, 221 teachers who failed to show up for CBC training are fighting in the Labour court to keep their jobs.

TSC accused the teachers of insubordination, infamous conduct and incitement during the training of tutors on CBC across the country. The interdicted teachers received show-cause letters on April 25 and notification of interdiction on May 3.