MPs want CBC fully enacted to benefit learners

The Ministry of Education has been challenged to fully enact the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) policy to ensure that learners receive the full benefits of the education system.

The National Assembly’s Committee on Education on Thursday voiced concerns that the rollout of the CBC continues to disenfranchise learners in public schools, which are yet to receive sufficient monetary and infrastructural support from the government. 

In just one year, the first cohort of CBC pupils will transition to senior school, marking the completion of the first phase of this curriculum.

"The resolution to ensure that every single primary school in Kenya has a junior school has not been implemented. It is a concern because it was passed by the National Assembly, and everything passed by the NA must be implemented," said Mbeere North MP Geoffrey Ruku.

MPs have also raised concerns about the long distances that some learners must travel to access junior schools in areas where none exist. In addition, they are calling on the government to ensure that public school learners are equipped for science and technology-based subjects.

"The laboratories required in most of our constituencies are not there. In my constituency, they are absent, and neither are the teaching aids. It pains me that we are implementing a curriculum without the necessary resources," added Ruku.

"I come from a constituency that has no power supply in 26 public schools, and we know that ICT is an integral part of the CBC," said Marakwet MP Timothy Kipchumba.

The lack of specific policies on the governance of schools under the CBC has also left the teaching fraternity struggling with staffing schools.

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) CEO Nancy Macharia emphasized the challenges faced by teachers stating, "Until we get a policy document from the Ministry of Education on what constitutes a comprehensive school for junior secondary, we have been changing subjects. We cannot determine which teacher goes where."

Despite the challenges, the Ministry of Education maintains that it is progressing with the plans to transition learners next year based on existing policy frameworks guiding the implementation of the CBC.

"For the first time in 2018, we developed a framework for the CBC. When we had the 8-4-4 system, we didn’t have a framework," said Education PS Belio Kipsang.

The Ministry further noted that the framework has been subject to changes over time.

"There was a need to rationalize, especially in terms of learning areas," he added.

The Ministry has also been called upon to provide clear guidelines on the financing of both junior and senior school learning, as well as ensuring that children continue to benefit from school feeding programs.