MPs Want CBC Scrapped
A group of Kenyan lawmakers from both sides of the political divide are calling for the government to abolish the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), citing high costs and poor preparation.
The CBC was introduced to replace the 8-4-4 system, but MPs claim that the new curriculum has created confusion in the education sector.
The lawmakers are also claiming that they are being forced to bear the burden of the new system’s costs, including buying books, uniforms, and paying for school fees for some students.
During a recent parliamentary session, Education Committee Chairperson Julius Melly defended the CBC, stating that the challenges being experienced were not new and were also experienced during the transition to the 8-4-4 system.
Melly acknowledged that the issue of teaching staff was a point of contention and needed to be addressed.
Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma, who was contributing to an adjournment motion, said that the transition from primary to secondary school was not well thought out, particularly for the Junior Secondary School (JSS) level.
Kaluma claimed that JSSs had been allocated only one teacher who was required to teach more than 14 subjects.
Kaluma went on to argue that the CBC was only accessible to the wealthy, as only those with money could afford to send their children to private schools that were better equipped to teach the new curriculum.
He called for the CBC to be scrapped so that the country could continue with an education system that was meaningful to its children.
The debate over the CBC is ongoing, and it remains to be seen whether the government will heed the calls of the MPs to abolish the new curriculum.
The government has invested heavily in the CBC, and any decision to scrap it would have significant implications for the country’s education system.
MPs Want CBC Scrapped