Pupil Urges Ruto To Continue With CBC as Magoha Calls For Talent Nurturing
Noreen Wagwama from Alber School captured the attention of over 70.000 Kenya Music Festival attendees in Kisumu yesterday by boldly performing a solo verse on why the new administration should keep the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
As Education CS George Magoha formally inaugurated the festival at Kisumu Girls High School, a grade six learner from a primary school in Central Kenya encouraged President William Ruto and the Ministry of Education to continue the program under evaluation.
“CBC is important. It helps pupils develop and demonstrate mastery over a topic, builds a culture of equity and inclusivity, and prepares us for life beyond the walls of their school,” said Wagwama in one of her verses.
Evalyne Njeri, Wagwama’s schoolteacher, told the Standard after her presentation that they chose the topic of CBC because they believe the program fosters the abilities of young students.
“This is not my argument, but my students.” She says that since the program’s inception in 2017, she has witnessed significant improvement in the present and five classes that have graduated from CBC.
According to her, CBC teaches students several vital life values, allowing them to climb the hierarchy of competence more quickly than conventional training methods.
It also improves their academic performance and helps them develop other talents early in life.
President William Ruto has pledged to establish a task team to review and implement a Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The task force will facilitate another round of public discussion on CBC on various unresolved topics.
CS Magoha, accompanied by Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyongo, appeared to agree with early talent development when he stated that it would be foolish for a student to work very hard from primary school to university to obtain a degree certificate when jobs can be created earlier through skills.
“Music is important in our life more than academics. It is life. I want to urge parents, pupils, and teachers to take such programs like music and drama very seriously because the future is not about academic qualifications but skills.”
According to Magoha, one cannot spend 20 years obtaining a degree in today’s society when one can build a film company and employ hundreds.
Magoha maintains that obtaining these abilities early might have a greater influence on children’s lives than chasing a piece of paper to use while searching for a career they could have established.
Magoha asked the Kenya Music Festival Executive to integrate music with theatre and cinema because it is a proven multibillion-dollar industry, using Nigeria’s Nollywood as an illustration.
“Nigerian music and drama industry is currently one of the most lucrative industries with Nollywood an example.“
They began slowly, but now everyone watches their films with their ethnic music playing in the background. "Why not build it in Kenya?”
Magoha stated that Kenya could develop its source of employment by building its industry as early as a primary school since it will develop highly talented and objective people who can make a business that can generate thousands of jobs.
Education stakeholders are divided.
Friday marked the beginning of the second term holiday, just a few days after President Ruto pledged to establish a task force to review the implementation of a Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The task force will facilitate another round of public discussion on CBC on various unresolved matters.
Few days before the start of the third term, however, worry is rising in the education sector.
Questions have arisen over the scope of the new team, considering that a comparable task force was established and produced the implementation road plan.
Education stakeholders are divided on whether or not Ruto will choose representatives from the 17-member committee chaired by Fatuma Chege, whose report shaped the CBC implementation.
In addition, the timeline for the team is unclear, given that Ruto stated that a report on transition concerns would be handled before the January transition.
In interviews with parents, teachers, and other concerned parties, it was discovered that they are anxious about whether or not the task force will maintain the December deadline for Grade Six examinations.
Former Nairobi County Education and Sports Executive Muthoni Ouko remarked that the truncated school calendar is cause for concern.
Only three months remain until the transition of sixth-grade students to junior high school.
The timeframe, according to Ouko, is insufficient to generate substantial recommendations.
Ouko added that President Ruto’s announcement had confused stakeholders.
Ouko added, “Our teachers don’t know if they will return to prepare Grade Six learners for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment examination or if they will wait.”
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Omboko Milemba, national chairman of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers, stated that the voices of all stakeholders should be heard.
“Teachers will convene to harmonize their perspectives for consideration,” Milemba said.
He stated that the formation of the task force coincides with the crucial transition to the Junior Secondary level.
Milemba says that for any educational system to be successful, it must have the support of parents, schoolteachers, the government, and students.
Peter Sitienei, the national leader of the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers, has urged the government to ensure their wellbeing.
He emphasized that special-school students were not represented in the previous task force; thus, it was difficult for them to integrate into the system.
Ouko stated that Kenyans are eager to learn about the team’s composition.
The previous team, including senior Ministry of Education officials, the church, educationists, curriculum experts, teachers’ associations, and members of civil society, was tasked with advising on the transition of the Grade Six cohort of CBC and Standard 7 and 8 students (of 8-4-4).
Pupil Urges Ruto To Continue With CBC as Magoha Calls For Talent Nurturing
