On January 30th 2017, Education
Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiangi launched Kenya’s new basic education
framework. The process to replace the current 8-4-4 system of education has now
commenced. The current system has been criticized as overburdened with
subjects, examination oriented and not capable of producing entrepreneurial
graduates.
The new curriculum is competency-based and
is undergirded by values. This new child-centered curriculum will nurture our
children’s potential and produce engaged, empowered and ethical citizens. According
to the framers of the new curriculum framework, education will not be about
grades but about learning how to learn, critical thinking and problem solving.
School will be a place where imagination and creativity will come alive. And
most of all, our schools will inculcate in our children the most important
obligation– citizenship.
In the new curriculum, basic education will
be delivered in three stages: Early years (2 years in pre-primary and 3 years
in lower primary); Middle school (3 years in upper primary and 3 years in lower
secondary); Senior school, comprising three streams of specialization, i.e.,
science, arts and social sciences.
I am awed by what Kenya Institute for
Curriculum Development (KICD) and the Ministry of Education have achieved. The
curriculum framework is based on sound theoretical foundations. Moreover, the
curriculum design has taken the bold step to diminish the primacy of
standardized test scores. This new curriculum is focused on the learner and
their intellectual and personal growth throughout the education experience.
What is especially laudable in this new
curriculum is that the role of the teacher is fundamentally changed. The teacher
will be the sage on the stage no more. The teacher will be a friend, the guide
on the side. The new curriculum re-casts the teacher as coach, facilitator and
mentor. The new curriculum promises to make school about learning, not
senseless memorization of irrelevant facts and standardized test scores. The
new curriculum is about creativity, imagination and passion. And most of all,
the new curriculum is about learning to learn, giving students the skills for
life-long learning and building a solid foundation for self-efficacy.
Implementing such a bold and liberating
curriculum will not be easy. A majority of teachers and parents will be lost
and disillusioned. Many will wonder if this is even practical or realistic
within our context. For some, that
citizens will be prepared to think, reason and challenge is a pretty
revolutionary proposition.
We must think carefully about the
implementation of this new curriculum. While it is bold and novel, it will not
be self-executing. We must invest in teachers. Teachers currently in service
must be re-tooled in pedagogical approaches that will support their new roles.
Teacher training and certification must adhere to the highest standards.
No comments:
Post a Comment