Progress on implementation of CBC and Preparation for senior school

Progress on implementation of CBC and Preparation for senior school.

The Progress on Implementation of Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) and Preparation for Senior School in Kenya is a significant development.

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has been monitoring the implementation of the CBC and ensuring that it aligns with the country’s values and is relevant to the curriculum.

Private schools have led the way in implementing the CBC, interpreting the curriculum as experiential and requiring learners to have practical experiences. They have also improved the way learners sit and interact, focusing on communication and collaboration.

Public schools have shown great success in using local resources, such as clay, waste paper, and even waste bottles. These schools have demonstrated that CBC is implementable by considering the space available and thinking about what can be used for learning.

However, some private schools still feel that CBC is expensive, as they ask parents to buy books and materials. The KICD encourages parents to report any unreasonable requests from the school and encourages them to ask teachers if they think they need more than one text.

Progress and Challenges

The progress on implementing the CBC and Preparation for Senior School in Kenya has been significant, with private schools leading the way in infrastructure, pedagogy, and resource utilization.

However, challenges remain, such as the perception that CBC is expensive and the need for parents to report any unreasonable requests.

The KICD CEO, Prof. Charles Ong’ondo, discusses the importance of purchasing five books in one learning area in one grade and the necessity of this for schools.

They also discuss the use of complimentary books, which are books that support teaching and learning, such as revision books.

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Prof. Ong’ondo requests that schools should not approve revision books for grades one, two, and three, but only for pre-primary education, early years, upper primary, junior, and senior.

Prof. Ong’ondo also addresses the issue of extra work by learners and teachers, which is often referred to as homework.

He argues that public schools often give children work that keeps them awake for longer periods of time, and that there is too much testing in private schools. He mentions four types of assessments: assessments for learning, assessments for learning, and assessments of learning.

Assessment and Student Support

Prof. Ong’ondo suggests that teachers should be aware of the rubrics in every design, which may not necessarily declare or brand children but rather provide insight into where the child needs support.

He also mentions that some students have exceeded expectations, while others are approaching almost there but not quite there yet.

Prof. Ong’ondo emphasizes the need for schools to address the issue of excessive testing and provide more support for students. By doing so, they hope to improve the quality of education and support for students in their communities.

Ong’ondo emphasizes the importance of nurturing every learner’s potential in a school, particularly in junior school. He discusses the challenges of ranking children and stigmatizing others, as well as the rationalization of learning areas at different levels.

At pre-primary school, the learning areas were five, including language, mathematics, religious, creative, and environmental activities.

Lower primary schools were given seven from about 11, while upper primary schools were given eight from about 12. The most significant impact was seen in junior school, where they were given nine learning areas.

Curriculum Gaps and Integration

The decision to rationalize learning areas occurred after evaluating grade eight books and commissioned publishers to publish them.

Many teachers have been asking about the gaps in the curriculum design, such as English, religious studies, social studies, pre-technical studies, creative arts, agriculture and nutrition, and mathematics.

The curriculum design now consists of almost five separate learning areas, including physical education, art, fine art, music, and drama.

The question for curriculum developers is whether they should discard these areas or integrate them into one, ensuring that students are exposed to broad areas of learning.

This approach may be necessary to ensure that students are still exposed to relevant knowledge, skills, and attitudes relevant to performing arts, visual arts, and physical education.

Prof. Ong’ondo emphasizes the importance of nurturing every learner’s potential in a school, even in the face of challenges and changes in the curriculum.

Single Learning Area Proposal

The KICD has proposed a single learning area for junior school, which will consist of 40 lessons per week. This area is based on science, which means knowledge.

However, to ensure sufficient interaction, the curriculum must be broken down into three main areas: physical science, social science, applied science, biology, chemistry, physics, social sciences, religious education, languages, geography, and history.

To teach these subjects successfully, teachers need to have a syllabus that includes elements from various subjects.

As a result, they can use books in various subjects like performing arts, visual arts, and physical studies to teach.

The government is currently making corrections to the grade nine books for rationalized learning areas, with the aim of ensuring they meet the KICD standards.

The government is replacing the books distributed in 2019 for grade 4 and 2018 for grade 3, and is also distributing new books according to the rationalized curriculum designs.

However, private schools should not take these books to secondary schools, as they are still domiciled in primary schools.

The government is urging teachers to ensure they have the right teachers teaching the learning areas, as they are intended to facilitate learning in grade 9-7 and 8.

Despite the changes, there is still concern about the pedagogy of teaching and learning, with some teachers leaning towards teacher-centeredness. To address this, Prof. Ong’ondo stresses that children pay fees to learn, not just to hear the teacher’s voice.

Key Features of CBC

The Kenyan Curriculum Development (CBC) emphasizes five key features that distinguish CBC from traditional 844 education.

These include making learning interesting, experiential, practical, and focusing on values. Junior school is an opportunity for children to identify their interests and make choices about their future education.

The Kenya National Examinations Council has piloted an instrument where children indicate areas of preference for different subjects, such as science, technology, mathematics, arts and sports, or social studies.

The Kenyan curriculum development projection is that 60% of children should go into STEM, 25% in social studies, and 15% in Arts and Sports.

An ideal way to view this is to admit 60% children in STEM, 25% in social studies, and 15% in Arts and Sports. This approach allows schools to focus on arts and sports, which are areas that other schools may not consider investing in due to cost or lack of time.

Compulsory Learning Areas

The four compulsory learning areas in CBC are physical education, community service learning, English language, and Swahili language.

Teachers must invest heavily in English teachers and Swahili language teachers to provide students with experiences within the community space.

Community service learning allows students to take important messages to the community through drama, location, and communication.

There will be no one teacher designated as a teacher of community service learning, and every teacher will be socialized on how to link their learning to experiences in the community.

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Physical education teachers should be trained to comfortably incorporate physical education into their students’ education.

In conclusion, CBC emphasizes the importance of engaging students in various subjects and focusing on practical, practical, and relevant learning experiences.

Progress on implementation of CBC and Preparation for senior school.

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