Wetangula: CBC taskforce report to be tabled in Parliament next week
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula.
The Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) taskforce report will be tabled before Parliament next week, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has said.
Mr Wetangula, who attended Sunday morning church service at PEFA Church Soysambu Mitua in Tongaren Constituency, Bungoma County said Parliament will keenly scrutinize the CBC report before it is implemented.
"The current CBC curriculum is a milestone in the practical aspect of the education sector in the country. The National Assembly will be keen to sieve through the CBC report awaited to be tabled in parliament this coming week," said Mr Wetangula.
"Therefore, I call upon the parents and education stakeholders to be patient as the process of implementing the CBC curriculum is streamlined,”said the Speaker.
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Mr Wetangula also urged Kenyans to support examination candidates for optimal performance.
Thousands of learners are expected to sit for their national examinations beginning Monday.
"I will work with all our leaders including clerics ,to ensure that our children receive the best education going forward. The church is a corner stone of our existence and it’s our responsibility to ensure that God is at the centre of all that we do," said Wetangula.
The taskforce concluded its public participation hearings on reforming the CBC on November 12.
However, the working party continued accepting proposals from the general public, until November 18 (Friday).
The working party is expected to compile views and provide suggestions on areas to amend, in a bid to improve the CBC system.
The working party, appointed by President Dr William Ruto, had visited 37 counties across the country by November 12.
In its last public hearings in Nakuru, stakeholders criticised the implementation of CBC, saying it was rushed and schools, as currently constituted, lack the capacity and infrastructure to implement the system.
On the last day of public submissions to the Presidential Working Party On Education Reforms, stakeholders did not mince their words in their submissions to the task force chaired by Prof. Raphael Munavu.
They took a swipe at former education CS Prof George Magoha for compelling head teachers to undertake the construction of Competency-Based Curriculum classrooms, saying some teachers were forced to dig into their pockets to finance the classrooms for fear of reprisals.
Parents and teachers also expressed scepticism about the quality of the education offered to learners under CBC.
They said CBC was unnecessarily expensive and discriminatory, putting children from poor backgrounds at a disadvantage.
Parents have called for the government to ensure the proper utilisation of resources and provide the required learning material.
Stakeholders in the education sector have pointed out the need to review the content under CBC, which they say is overwhelming for learners.
President Ruto has promised to implement the raft of reforms recommended by the 49-member task force.
Ruto in his address on Mashujaa Day said the reforms will play an important role in improving the quality of education.
He said its findings and recommendations shall inform subsequent necessary interventions to ensure that Kenya delivers the calibre of education, skills and training needed to successfully pursue sustainable development.
On September 30, Ruto gazetted Raphael Munavu to chair the team whose secretaries are Knec CEO David Njengere, Patita Tingoi, Jackson Too and Richard Miano.
The task force includes vice chancellors, agency heads, principals and other education stakeholders.
Award-winning teacher Peter Tabichi, former Chesumei MP Wilson Kogo and former Mary Hill High School principal Jacinta Ngure are also on the team.
The team also includes Kenyatta University VC Professor Paul Wainaina, who resisted a state order to excise university land during the last days of President Uhuru Kenyatta's term.
Kenyans have called for radical reforms in the education sector, including an overhaul of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and a return to a reformed and improved 8-4-4 system.
Opinion is, however, divided as some stakeholders have called for reorganisation of CBC to make it more affordable for all.
The taskforce has been directed to work towards addressing the challenges raised so far on the education system.
They have to give their recommendations before January when secondary schools are likely to witness a double intake, one for Form One who will be sitting KCPE and for Grade Six, who will be joining junior secondary.
