CBC Subjects to be Reduced, National Examinations to Continue
It is possible that Kenyan schools will continue to administer rigorous national examinations, despite the new curriculum’s emphasis on skills and competencies.
Under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), students would continue to compete for high scores on national examinations, perpetuating the crisis that the transition from 8-4-4 was intended to alleviate.
The positive news is that the number of subjects studied under CBC will be reduced to ease the burden on students, which has prompted outrage from parents and some education stakeholders.
These recommendations are included in the interim report of the Presidential Working Group on Education Reforms (PWPER).
If the draft recommendations of the education reform team are adopted in the final report, the initial proposition that school-based assessments account for 60 percent while national examinations account for only 40 percent will be reversed.
Primary school students will have to compete for 60 percent on ninth-grade national examinations.
The learners will be limited to a maximum score of 40% on school-based assessments, effectively reversing a plan to reduce the burden on national examinations under CBC.
Senior School students (Grade 12) will be required to achieve 70% on national examinations, leaving only 30% for school-based assessments.
CBC’s comprehensive changes will reduce the number of subjects taught in schools and elevate the importance of junior and senior year examinations.
Since its adoption in Kenyan schools in 2017, the CBC is in its seventh year of implementation; the first cohort is presently in seventh grade.
Under the proposed reforms, the testing of students under CBC will be restructured: at the end of primary education, in Grade 6, students will take the Kenya Primary Education Assessment to track their progress.
The draft report indicates that the progression to junior secondary will be automatic; consequently, the Grade Six assessment will not determine or influence the student’s progression to junior secondary.
CBC Subjects to be Reduced, National Examinations to Continue