KICD Defends Teachers On CBC, Warns Against Use Of unapproved books.
Reports that teachers are unfamiliar with the new education curriculum are unfounded, according to a heads summit held yesterday.
Concurrently, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) warned teachers and parents not to use unapproved books in the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The institute blamed the books for the recent spread of inappropriate learning content on social and mainstream media.
“You may have heard some people say that teachers don’t understand the CBC, that they don’t understand certain aspects of the curriculum,” KICD chief executive officer Charles Ong’ondo said at the 17th Kenya Primary Schools Headteachers Association (Kepsha) annual delegates conference.
Ong’ono wondered how people involved in a project’s development can fail to understand it. He accused unnamed individuals and teachers union officials of obstructing the curriculum’s implementation unnecessarily.
“These people do not know that it is the teacher who develops the curriculum and support materials. We cannot accuse ourselves of not knowing what we have developed,” he said.
He went on to say that Kepsha is legally represented in the KICD Council, which is the highest decision-making organ that approves the curriculum.
“Your chairperson, Johnson Nzioka, is a member of the KICD Council. If he were to register an objection to a curriculum or curriculum design, it will not see the light of the day. We are together in this. We must defend our curriculum,” he added.
Prof Ong’ondo stated that for the first time in the country’s history, Kenya has approved a homegrown curriculum, and he urged stakeholders to support it.
The Ministry of Education is constructing classrooms at selected public primary schools in preparation for the rollout of junior secondary schools.
Prof Ong’ondo claims that Kenyans were not involved in developing the 7-4-6-3 education system when the country gained independence in 1963 and that Kenya simply copied it from the British curriculum.
Even the 8-4-4 system implemented in 1985, he claims, was not developed in-house.
According to Prof. Ong’ondo, the 7-4-6-3 system is a workforce curriculum.
“It was intended to give us people who would work in offices as the country agitated for independence. However, 8-4-4 was intended to be a technical curriculum. Unfortunately, we lost it and made it a complete knowledge examination curriculum,” Prof Ong’ondo said.
The KICD CEO also stated that the institute’s CBC books have been approved by teachers.
n learning areas up to Grade 5, he said Kenya has a one-to-one book ratio.
On whether or accessibility issues, he added schoolheads may be asked to take them from sub-county directors, but transporters must ferry the materials to every school as per government policy.
Prof. Ong’ondo stated that any teaching and learning material that does not bear a KICD approval tag is illegal.
The principals were informed that obtaining unlicensed CBC materials and examination papers is illegal.
Prof Ong’ondo stated that the material and examination papers must be stamped by his institute.
“Even as we want to promote entrepreneurs bringing juicy materials and examination papers to schools, they must get a statement approval from the KICD,” he insisted.
He said entrepreneurs bringing juicy materials and examination papers to schools must obtain KICD statement approval adding that they have been accused on numerous occasions of disseminating materials that are inaccurate in terms of facts, are inconsistent with their values and curriculum designs.
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“Some of those materials have not been through our hands. Be on the lookout and call us in case of anything.”
According to Prof Ong’ondo, KICD recently discovered a syndicate publishing and selling illegal curriculum designs.
KICD Defends Teachers On CBC, Warns Against Use Of unapproved books