CBC Proposal Cuts Down Number of Subjects for Students
The positive proposal by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) is that CBC reduces the number of learning areas for students.
The team has proposed a drastic reduction in the number of subjects taught in CBC elementary and secondary institutions.
Under the initial CBC structure, students in grades 1-3 were required to enroll in up to eight subjects. Those in upper primary were required to take ten subjects.
At the junior secondary level, students are required to take 12 subjects, including English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, Integrated Science, Health Education, Pre-technical, pre-career education, Social Studies, Religious Education, Business Studies, Agriculture, Life Skills, Sports, and Physical Education.
Visual arts, performing arts, domestic science, computer science, foreign languages, Kenya Sign Language, and Indigenous Languages are elective subjects.
Foreign languages
Notably, some of the proposed subjects under the initial CBC format have not taken off, such as Mandarin, French, and German, due to a paucity of teachers and learning materials to support their implementation.
The number of subjects was a major source of discontent and outrage among parents, who complained of the financial burden and the learners’ overload.
The committee has proposed that the number of learning areas be rationalized in terms of scope, integration of subjects within a learning area, gaps, content overload, overlaps, and promotion of community connections.
The proposal maintains the current number of subjects taught in pre-primary school, which is five.
This includes activities involving the English language, mathematics, the environment, psychomotor and creative development, and religious education.
In lower primary, or courses between Grades 1 and 3, the team has proposed reducing the number of subjects from eight to seven. Those in Grades 4 through 6 (or upper primary) will select a maximum of eight subjects from the previous list of ten required subjects.
Previously, students were required to complete courses in English, Kiswahili, mathematics, home science, agriculture, science and technology, religious education, creative arts, physical and health education, and social studies.
The team has proposed that junior secondary students study no more than nine subjects. Depending on their chosen course, learners will only take seven subjects in senior secondary school.
If the draft recommendations are included in the final draft, the task force wants the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to promptly rationalize the learning areas.
Within six months, KICD will be required to conduct an evaluation of the Basic Education Curriculum Framework (BECF) in order to accommodate curricular design changes.
In addition, within one year, KICD will be required to develop guidelines on textbooks and Curriculum support material to ensure that each school receives the top two evaluated textbooks.
CBC Proposal Cuts Down Number of Subjects for Students