Prof Charles Ochieng’ Ong’ondo's journey to the top

 He is known as ‘Professor Otiko’ in the Kenya Schools and Colleges Drama and Film Festival as well as Kenya Music Festival circles.

 The word otiko is slang for ticket.

Prof Charles Ochieng’ Ong’ondo, who was recently  appointed  the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) director, earned this name in December 2017 after he used the word as a parting shot during the Kenya National Drama Workshop at Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu. He posed a question: “We who claim to be veteran adjudicators, facilitators and directors of drama, what otiko (ticket) forms the basis of our expertise?”

His address was on the implications of the competency-based curriculum (CBC) on performing artists. By using the word otiko, he meant competency. He was emphasising the fact that CBC requires that every practitioner should demonstrate competency in the practice in which they claim to be experts.

It has come to pass.

Now, ‘Prof Otiko’ is at the helm of the KICD, the institution tasked with developing curricula and curriculum support materials for  learners.

His appointment as KICD director-cum-chief executive officer was done on September 25 by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha.

A panel had settled on then Moi University lecturer after a rigorous recruitment process. A suitable candidate for the post should have a minimum of a postgraduate degree from a recognised university and must have held a managerial position in an education-related field for at least 10 years.

He is now in charge of taking forward the curriculum that will govern Kenya’s basic education landscape for years to come.

 Prof Ong’ondo took over from Dr Joel Mabonga, who was the acting director since February, when the previous holder of the position, Dr Julius Jwan, was appointed the Principal Secretary for Technical and Vocational Education.

The lecturer is now responsible for the day-to-day running of KICD for a five-year renewable term.

Prof Ong’ondo is a seasoned teacher of English and Literature, an avid drama and English elocution scriptwriter, an experienced national adjudicator at the two festivals, an author, rapporteur and administrator.

He is famous for his simple advice, especially to drama teachers and students: “One has to earn their otiko to the top through hard work, commitment and ethics”. If you want to be better in what you do, Prof Ong’ondo says, you must have a clear vision and focus.

Prof Ong’ondo is arguably one of the best national and regional adjudicators. Some of his memorable adjudications were during the 2011 National Drama Festival at the Bomas of Kenya, the 2013 National Festival in Mombasa when the play Shackles of Doom drew controversy, and the 2016 Meru Festival when Lwak Girls presented the ground-breaking Sax-vio-Guitar cultural creative dance.

When he is not adjudicating, the lecturer is a leader of the rapporteurs as was the case during the 2019 National Drama Festival at Kibabii University in Bungoma County.

He is also a consistent and revered national facilitator in the festival, giving valuable drama tips to teachers and other drama officials. “There are no shortcuts in drama. From scriptwriting, casting, directing and production, one has to strive for the best since the national schools and colleges’ drama festival is very competitive,” says Prof Ong’ondo.

The lecturer takes his 30-year teaching experience to KICD. The core mandate of the State corporation is to develop research-based curricula and curriculum support materials for basic and tertiary education and training in Kenya, with the exception of university education.

In doing this, KICD is guided by the desire to nurture every learner’s potential through the CBC.

Being a hands-on personality who is known for not being afraid of “working in the trenches” and getting his hands dirty, the schools and colleges drama fraternity now hopes that Prof Ong’ondo will use his expertise in drama to entrench and enrich performing arts as a pathway in the curriculum.

A lot of investment

Many critics believe that drama as a genre has for a long time been short-changed by learning authorities, and this is what they feel Prof Ong’ondo should rectify as he takes over at the helm of the organisation. The scholar has experience in production for drama and music festivals from lower primary to university level.

“From my experience, I can say that drama and music, as well as other creative arts, need a lot of investment in conceptualisation, resources and production. It is not for the faint-hearted and those who are looking for a quick way to the top,” says Prof Ong’ondo.

However, his journey to the top has not been easy, having started out as a diploma teacher in high school.

But given his methodical approach to issues, his appointment is not a surprise. Indeed, a number of his colleagues and friends in the festival and education fraternity say  they saw his rise coming.

“It was a matter of time. Prof Ong’ondo is meant for greater tidings”, says Mr Shikuku Shitubi, the Teacher of the Year (TOYA) 2019.

It is a feeling shared by many drama veterans including Sirengo Khaemba, Kahura Chokera, Dr Ruth Agesa, Dr SP Otieno, Dr Daniel Mwaringa, Charles Ndirangu, Joseph Murungu, James Indimuli, Janet Lang’at, Charity Muraguri, Wycliffe Buhere and Professors CJ Odhiambo, Peter Barasa, Nabea Wendo and Okumu Bigambo among other thespians.

Renowned playwright Oliver Minishi remarks: “Prof’s elevation to national responsibility was long overdue.”

Prof Ong’ondo’s academic journey started at Oneno Primary School in Homa Bay County. He  then joined Isebania Secondary and afterwards Homa Bay High School, where he sat for his A-Levels.

Academic fellow

After attending Siriba Teachers’ Training College where he attained a diploma in Education and qualified initially as a teacher of English, he taught in various schools in western Kenya for eight years, before he decided to further his education.

Today, he is a Commonwealth academic fellow and scholar who holds a post-doctoral fellowship in research methodology from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, a PhD in English language teacher education from the University of Leeds, also in the UK, a master of philosophy degree in English from Moi University, a bachelor’s degree in English and Literature from the same university and a diploma in education from Siriba Teachers’ College.

While at Moi University, Prof Ong’ondo rose from the level of assistant lecturer to a senior lecturer, head of department, then acting dean and later as the executive director of the African Network for International Education (Anie) for more than three years.

Anie is a Pan-African organisation that seeks to promote high-quality research, advocacy, information sharing and transnational networking on the internationalisation of education.

At Moi University, he was also the head of the Department of Communication Studies between 2011 and 2017. He was the school examinations and timetables coordinator from 2009 to 2011.

The new KICD boss is a renowned author of many journal articles and books, some of which focus on drama scripting and adjudication. Prof Ong’ondo has mentored many teachers, most of who are successful producers and directors in the festival.

In terms of his vision for the KICD, Prof Ong’ondo identifies five critical areas which he consolidates in the acronym ORDER: Organisation, Responsibility, Detail, Excellence and Right.

He explains that the reformed curriculum implementation has reached Grade Four, and, therefore, the next steps are to institute an organised approach to developing subsequent curricula, ensure that the staff have the appropriate capacity to enable them to execute their responsibilities and to pay attention to detail – ensuring that all the steps enshrined in the KICD Act 2013 and other relevant laws are followed to the letter –  in the process of fulfilling the KICD mandate.

Prof Ong’ondo adds that, as a centre of excellence, the KICD must focus on developing transformative curricula and curriculum support materials that are globally competitive. His singular piece of advice to the staff is: “Just do the right thing.”

He says curriculum designs for Grade Six in the CBC are complete and are undergoing the final review. The development of the designs lays ground for the publishing of books for Grade Six to complete the primary school cycle. The new curriculum is at Grade Four, and the learners would have transitioned to Grade Five in January before the school calendar was disrupted by Covid-19.

“KICD has developed curriculum designs for Pre-primary One and Two and Grades One to Six. The designs for Pre-primary and Grades One to Four have already been disseminated to schools and are being used for curriculum implementation. The Grade Five designs are in the finalisation stage for printing while the Grade Six is undergoing final review,” Prof Ong’ondo says.

The coursebooks and teacher's guides for Grade Five were published this year and publishers awarded tenders to supply the books to schools. This was to be done from September 1, but the process has not yet kicked off since schools were closed and the targeted learners are still in Grade Four.

“The institute is in the process of developing the curriculum designs for Grade Seven to Grade Nine and the scope and sequence charts for Grade 10-12,” Prof Ong’ondo reveals. “The effects of Covid-19 have slowed down operations, but we are determined to remain ahead in ensuring the curriculum designs and instructional materials are of high quality and are accessible within the stipulated time-frames.”

Additional reporting by David Muchunguh