MPs Stops Implementation of CBC and Education Reforms Report
After the National Assembly suspended the implementation of a report by the Prof. Raphael Munavu-led Presidential Working Group on Education Reform, the country’s education sector may face further turmoil.
The working group had proposed significant changes to the education system, and the execution of many of these proposals, aligned with the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), was already underway.
However, the National Assembly is now expressing concerns about how these proposals are being put into action before obtaining approval from the House, either as regulations or substantive laws.
Emukhaya MP Omboko Milemba raised a point of order, contending that the recommendations by Prof. Munavu’s team potentially violated various laws and even the constitution. He requested the Speaker rule on why these recommendations were being implemented before receiving approval from the House.
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Milemba challenged Speaker Moses Wetangula, stating, “We want your direction so that people do not change the law or the constitution through the back door.”
Other MPs who spoke on the matter echoed Milemba’s concerns and urged the Speaker to halt the implementation of the recommendations.
Ainabkoi MP William Chepkonga firmly expressed that nobody in the country, regardless of their status or influence, possesses the authority to create laws.
He emphasized that non-elected individuals should not be involved in lawmaking, as it goes against the constitution. Chepkonga called for an official statement on the matter and insisted that the implementation should be halted.
Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo accused the Ministry of Education of attempting to bypass due legal processes by implementing recommendations without parliamentary or judicial assessment.
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Acknowledging the situation, Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo pointed out that the document in question was not only a policy document without legal backing but also noted the formation of an implementation committee that was already executing its recommendations.
He highlighted the lack of consideration for parliamentary approval or legal status for these measures.
Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa pledged to engage with Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu to prevent the implementation of recommendations, particularly those requiring parliamentary approval.
Kimani Ichung’wa, the Majority Leader, emphasized that no one, not even cabinet secretaries or presidential working groups, possesses the authority to enact laws.
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He clarified that their role is limited to proposing recommendations that may be put into effect if adopted by the House.
Speaker Moses Wetangula instructed the Majority Leader to provide a statement on the matter within two weeks and urged all parties involved to allow Parliament to fulfill its constitutional mandate.
Speaker Moses Wetangula firmly stated that no one, and he emphasized this point, including cabinet secretaries, can attempt to create legislation or engage in actions that could be misconstrued as law-making because they lack the authority to do so.
Already, certain initiatives, including the relocation of Junior Secondary School from high school to primary school, the adoption of a new grading system, a revised financing model, and the restructuring of new learning areas, have been implemented based on the recommendations of the Munavu task force.
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MPs Stops Implementation of CBC and Education Reforms Report
