Are our universities ready for the Competency-Based Curriculum?

Pupils at Mboto Sunrise Primary School work on their competency-based curriculum assignment under a tree

Pupils at Mboto Sunrise Primary School work on their competency-based curriculum assignment under a tree in September last year. 

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

When the Competency-based Curriculum (CBC) was designed by the then Kenya Institute of Education (KIE), the precursor to the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) way back 2012-2013 and later launched in 2017, the country’s education sector was introduced to a new, revolutionised system that was expected to meet global education standards while creating self-reliant graduates. I had the privilege to serve on the Councils of both KIE and KICD when CBC was formulated and designed by the diligent and dedicated brains at KICD with wider stakeholder engagements. 

Indeed, going by the adept planning of the CBC curriculum, many believe that the success of our educational institutions is hinged upon the success of CBC. The question that begs then is, are the universities ready for the future CBC learners post-secondary education.

To understand CBC, let us see how it has been structured:  CBC has five levels, namely, pre-primary education (two years) that is pre-primary 1 and pre-primary 2, commonly known as PP1 and PP2, lower primary (Grade 1 to Grade 3) expected to run for three years, upper primary (Grade 4 to Grade 6) and is expected to run for three years, lower secondary (Grade 7 to Grade 9) and is expected to run for three years and finally senior school (Grade10 to Grade 12) which is expected to run for three years. The recent decision to retain Grade 7 to 9 in the primary section has been received with mixed reactions by various stakeholders.

Senior school

After the learners’ sail through senior school, it is inevitable that they will join universities. And here is where the real questions begin. Are our universities ready for CBC?

The reforms the government has initiated in basic education institutions will inevitably require fundamental changes in higher education. This is because the first crop of CBC students are expected to enter university in the next five or so years.

They will have unique academic characteristics. Universities need to get ready to receive and train them well to avoid culture shock for both the students and the teaching faculty. Some of the lecturers and professors who will be handling the first cohort of CBC at the University will be graduates of the 7-6-3 and the 8-4-4 systems.

Under the Basic Education Curriculum Framework, the students get an educational experience that not only develops skills and knowledge but also requires that they apply them to real-life situations. University programmes, therefore, need to have advanced practical solutions to societal issues.

8-4-4 system

Universities must reform their education curriculum in readiness to receive CBC students for tertiary education. During the roll-out of the 8-4-4 system, universities were not adequately prepared to receive graduates from the lower levels, and chaos was witnessed when the first cohort of the 8-4-4 system was finally admitted.

It is imperative that we do not repeat the same mistake. All stakeholders — Ministry of Education, Teachers Service Commission, Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), universities, teachers, and parents - should be actively involved in ensuring that CBC reaps success all the way to university. To begin with, there is a need to understand what the curriculum is about and what adjustments are needed at the higher education level.

Universities must also come up with a curriculum that can train teachers who can go back to junior schools and teach learners competently in CBC; they can carry the mantle of CBC completely as teachers of the 21st century.

Practical-oriented CBC improves learning outcomes by allowing learners to advance based on their ability to master a skill or competence at their own pace.

Universities should embrace practical training wholeheartedly with the understanding that the theory of yore is now a bit obsolete under the spotlight of CBC.

It is incontestable that university-trained teachers of the future will need to be well-grounded soft skills, especially in digital technology, ethics, and integrity, have emotional intelligence and exercise collaborative, mentorship and leadership skills.

The universities of the future must be different from those of yesteryears in that they must adopt virtual tools and borderless learning territories.

Suffice it to say that in order to be well prepared for CBC, the current university lecture room must be student-centric, employ online tools and gadgets should be characterised by active and collaborative learning.

The roles of university lecturers will be expected to change from the past when the tutor was the only source of information.

Utilise technology

The lecturer will be required to embrace and utilize technology, be flexible to accommodate change, and be a researcher and lifelong learner. Testing and assessment of university students require continuous improvements.

CBC is emerging as a promising model for bridging the gap between graduates’ training and employer needs and should be encouraged. By the year 2030 the current CBC Grade 6 candidates will be in the University and on their way to the labour market. Will the skills they will have learned at the University be relevant to the employers of the day?

For this reason, it is time we encouraged masters and PhD students to research more on CBC and offer solutions to its adoption. It is also expected that the findings and recommendations of such research be implemented.

We must also deal with the question of funding. Universities have faced challenges in terms of funding and the sooner we find a solution to this problem the better. To prepare well for CBC higher education institutions must have enough resources. It is time universities become more innovative in finding new sources of funds as they prepare for CBC.

Dr Letting is CEO of Kasneb