CBC task force should consider sustainability and compatibility

One of the most intriguing subjects in discourse today is the Comptency-Based Curriculum.

Parents and teachers felt sidelined at the inception of CBC and now feel left out of the review task force but will be required to implement it. Rather than engage and convince them, the government turned a blind eye.

Criticisms and misgivings were expected but through constructive discourse, a resolution should be sought, without which the child will bear the brunt.

Some wish to trash CBC because they are conservative or sceptical. The task force must face the realities as they are and consider sustainability and compatibility as it is integral to curriculum development.

Our ancestors wrote on rocks and Sumerians invented cuneiform. The stylus was born and we have kept evolving over time across the boundary.

Today, clicks or tabs on electronic devices produce amazing effects, thanks to technology. Constant educational changes happen owing to the prevailing circumstances. 

Self-reliance

When 8-4-4 started, it was premised on self-reliance. Art and craft, music and science, integrated with practical skills in carpentry, masonry and embroidery were offered in primary school.

Hence, Kenya School Equipment Scheme (KSES) was to equip schools with relevant resources. Workshops (karakanas) were constructed just like the current CBC classrooms.

Then it emerged that such diverse skills had not been adequately prepared for.

The fate that befell the 8-4-4 predecessors, some of whom have crawled through life to find their footing until today, was unnecessary.

It was as uncertain as CBC is today and if proper plans are not laid, the ramifications could be unprecedented.

Perhaps the reason why some 8-4-4 and college products are unemployed is that they are perfect containers of book knowledge who fear taking risks.

They often prepare to pass interviews but fail to start something new. They harbour life-changing business ideas but get stuck in the quagmire of analysing all the possible outcomes.

As society expects, they romanticise and seek jobs in engineering, banking, law and medicine which are scarce.

However, CBC focuses on the learner’s potential, projecting into what they will be as opposed to what they ought to be in future.

Since CBC is learner-centred, problem-solving competencies are essential in driving the whole education system.

Ideals like STEM should flex to include the arts, (STEAM). Some learners would wish to pursue and explore their own inspirations and aspirations through scientific discovery while others have special talents.

Critical thinking

CBC is responsive to these: critical thinking eliminates confusion and self-efficacy and creates confidence instead of mere recall.

While general pedagogy inculcates knowledge, skills and desirable attitudes in individual learners, the CBC facilitator ought to be adequately trained to stimulate, encourage and guide natural learning as the learner is in constant interaction with materials.

Learners observe, experiment, experience and evaluate various aspects of their learning process.

Based on their physical, social and spiritual needs, they develop permanent experiences culminating in self-fulfilment.

CBC approaches are rooted in paradigmatic eclectic and dialectic philosophies infused in learning experiences which enhance consistency and responsibility.

The shift from the teacher to the learner accentuates the significance of an individual’s education making them holistic and self-reliant, not an automaton.

By involving learners in inquiry, reasoning, assessment and communication, they understand.

Through learning to learn, the child will explore from known to unknown, discover and draw valid conclusions instead of being bundled together to learn the things they already know.

PCIs like safety and risk reduction will expand the learner’s exposure. Foreign languages like Mandarin and French will open local and global opportunities.

ICT is critical in the world of innovation as we rely on digital literacy and devices for services. Digital activities should be flexible to include non-internet-dependent experiences.

The government should progressively modernise schools by setting up ICT and science labs and sensitise key stakeholders because they will be the ultimate consumers of CBC products.

Grades 7 and 8 should be domiciled in enhanced schools as adjacent ones share facilities.

The society participates in the learning of its population as parenting and schooling are integrated.

The task force should assess the needs in relation to the lives of learners, parents and teachers in order to apply the necessary change.

Increasing facilitators’ capacity and resources will ease the problem of inpouring occasioned by the 100 per cent transition.

Although CBC is resource-intensive, it should be improved to cater for the current needs. Providing textbooks is commendable but other materials are needed.

KICD should devise and moderate safe age-appropriate practical, project and community service activities.

KNEC should review modalities for assessment and integrate structured questions with child-friendly objective items.

Enoch Osugo is a CBC author and teacher in Makueni County. [email protected]