Build techies, and ‘bookworms’

With all indications that the Competency-Based Curriculum is here to stay, our education might end up focusing on hard skills and forget the “bookworms”, or academic giants.

For bookworms, their talent is just reading and more reading to understand and pass exams. Some have no other business outside the classroom and their creativity stops at the doorstep.

When others may be advantaged to be doing some field activities which may be from a skill they take pride in as their talent, bookworms may be busy in libraries perusing as many books as possible. To them, the only thing manageable at school ends with their books.

CBC should not go silent on such students after some time—as 8-4-4 did to the many skills it began nurturing only to let them go, just to concentrate on soft skills. If there is to come a time Kenya will brag about a competent education system, a lot must be done.

The Education Ministry should recognise all skills by employing competent tutors from all fields and posting them to all learning institutions with support to ensure success in all the diverse skills.

It is high time every learning area in institutions got the necessary support, not building one by killing another. Let’s go for all the competencies available without bias or favour to attain the best for all.

The contribution of neurosurgeons to society is as crucial as that of plumbers. Let’s learn from our mistakes and not start big and concentrate on a skill or two after some time and then change the system. 

Bookworms will be turned into hopeless people, as it is today for those whose luck was not in class as 8-4-4 is required if CBC is not managed properly.

The ministry should put in place lasting strategies to ensure the smooth running of all activities in schools and not fall into the same mess to again necessitate a discussion on changing the education system.

Mr Asava is a journalism and digital media student at KCA University. [email protected].