Train teachers well on new curriculum

 

In order for curriculum development to be effective and the implementation to be successful, teachers must be involved in the development and drafting of policies to operationalise the syllabus.

An effective curriculum should reflect the philosophy, goals, objectives, learning experiences, instructional resources and assessments that comprise a specific educational programme.

It can be subject-specific or a generalised overview of expectation. It must be a usable tool to assist teachers in the development of individualised strategies and the methods and materials necessary for them to be successful.

Without a doubt, the most important person in the curriculum implementation process is the teacher. With their knowledge, experiences and competencies, teachers are central to curriculum development and implementation efforts. Better teacher support guarantees better learning because they (teachers) are responsible for introducing the curriculum in the classroom.

If a curriculum is developed without the direct involvement of educators, then it means that teachers have to make efforts to understand it.

Currently the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is conducting a four-day face-to-face and virtual training session for teachers. However, although the training is important, it is not comprehensive enough.

In essence, what TSC is doing in the name of Smart Cascade Mode of training hardly complies with internationally accepted standards for upgrading skills and competencies of teachers for Competency-Based Education (CBE) delivery.

Retooling and reorienting teachers to CBC should not have been left solely to TSC as the process is so critical in building the capacity of tutors so that they can be well-equipped to implement CBE.

It is imperative that competencies in teachers be enhanced over a standardised period of time for successful implementation of CBE.

Teachers who have gone through the Smart Cascade Mode of training say they were not adequately tutored for CBE preparation and delivery in the classroom. Besides, teachers lack modern and compatible teaching tools to enable them to cater for new learning areas.

So, teachers and their unions should be directly involved in the remaining stages of the final phase of curriculum development. The government should invest in teacher training and involve their trade unions in the penultimate stages of the curriculum change process to create a positive attitude among them for the successful implementation of CBE.

On the other hand, the curriculum development team has to consider teachers as part of the environment that affects curriculum. It is on the basis of these complexities in CBC development and delivery of CBE that we insist that Prof Fatuma Chege’s Report on CBC be subjected to public validation.

Three weeks after the launch of the Chege Report, the document is yet to be made public. Keeping the document under wraps suggests that it is incomplete, with loose ends to be tied. 

Teachers want to enjoy teaching and watching their pupils develop competencies and skills in their areas of interest. Teachers may need to create lesson plans within the framework of CBE since their responsibilities are to implement the curriculum to meet the learners’ needs.

Pupils' needs

This aspiration, however, cannot be achieved if the teacher is not sufficiently coached on CBE competencies, and their skills improved. More fundamentally, the government should invest more towards improving school infrastructure, acquiring modern teaching/learning materials, creating an enabling teaching and learning environment, besides hiring more qualified teachers.

Educating parents/guardians on what CBE entails is such a critical area that the Ministry of Education has to adequately address before the full rollout of the new curriculum.

The government, and in particular the Ministry of Education, should view the development and implementation of CBE as a process for meeting pupils' needs and which leads to the improvement of pupils' learning.

A curriculum should be a living document that is in constant flux. It must be adaptable to change in the educational community and in society in general. Only then will it be able to be an effective change agent in the educational process.

As a result, I believe that the intrigues surrounding the development of CBC and the implementation of CBE can be addressed in an amicable manner considering that from independence Kenya has been working hard to improve quality education as a response to societal need, new ways of thinking, practice and methods of inquiry in education.

 

 Mr Sossion is a nominated MP and Secretary-General of Knut