Private school hand will be a boon for CBC
Education CS George Magoha signs a visitor's book at Mount Kenya university stand during the official launch of Kenya Private Schools Association conference in Mombasa.
Kenya Private Schools Association’s pronouncement that they plan to construct 5,000 more classrooms by July out of this year’s target of 10,000 is laudable. This came after Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha invited them to invest in infrastructure for the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The private sector has a big role in the new education dispensation, where the government’s ability to implement it is hampered by factors like shortage of infrastructure. A public-private partnership in education would strengthen service delivery. Engaging the private schools and leveraging their strengths in the delivery of education will boost the government’s efforts to meet its mandate of delivering quality education and sustain the implementation of CBC.
Governments are looking for innovation from within and beyond the public sector. The non-state sector includes a diverse number of providers: Community groups, non-governmental organisations, faith-based organisations, trade unions, private companies, small-scale informal providers and individual practitioners. Effective private sector engagement in delivering quality education can help the government to fill the demand-supply gap and improve learning outcomes for students.
Benefits of private schools
Over the past decade, governments have pursued policies to involve the private sector in the delivery and financing of infrastructure. Unesco says the role and benefits of private schools in the provision of education, especially in emerging economies, cannot be overemphasized.
Research shows high-quality infrastructure facilitates better instruction, improves student outcomes and reduces dropout rates, among other benefits. By partnering with the private sector, countries can expand their education systems more efficiently, flexibly and effectively.
By reaching out to the private sector to build CBC classrooms, the government will see cost reduction, improved quality, greater participation, and sustainable implementation of CBC.
Dr Kapkiai is a lecturer at Kisii University. [email protected].
