Government Promises To Review CBC Following Parent’s Uproar

President William Ruto has assured parents that he will establish an education reform task force that will oversee public participation geared toward reforming the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) in an effort to ease anxiety among parents who remain skeptical about the syllabus.

While delivering his inauguration speech on Tuesday, September 13, Ruto shared the plight of parents who are in limbo as the first cohort of students moves to Junior Secondary School (JSS).

“Public participation is critical in this matter. I will establish an education reform task force in the presidency that will be launched in the coming weeks,” Ruto stated.

The task force will likely be established in the upcoming weeks before beginning its job, which includes gathering opinions from stakeholders across the nation.

Among the key roles of the task force will be collecting all views from relevant stakeholders and working out a solution that benefits the parents. Furthermore, the President noted that his government will work to ensure a smooth transition from the 8-4-4 to the CBC.

As it stands, the maiden CBC class is slated to make the jump to Junior High School (JSS) in January 2023 but former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime wasn’t as successful in setting up critical infrastructure, such as dormitories and laboratories, that would have helped facilitate the said planned transition.

“We are particularly alive to the anxieties of parents on the twin transitions of the last 8-4-4 class and the first CBC class in January next year. I assure you that there will be a solution to the matter before then,” he explained.

Before the Supreme Court ruling on Monday, September 5, parents had urged Ruto to review the rollout of the curriculum. They decried the financial burden resulting from the demands of the curriculum.

“This CBC is a challenge for real because we are very broke. We can handle it but the Government should make some changes to make it bearable,” stated one of the parents.

Recently, the National Parents Association (NPA) had urged Ruto and his administration to retain the Education cabinet Secretary George Magoha to ensure a smooth transition of the first cohort of Grade 6 pupils to JSS.

The parents’ representatives led by Nicholas Maiyo advised the president that Magoha is the right man to guarantee the new curriculum is fulfilled.

Ruto’s assurance solidified Magoha’s plea to the new government to uphold the new curriculum. Magoha argued that it would have been difficult for the incoming administration to scrap the curriculum due to the amount pumped into the project.

“With 10 million children under CBC, no government is even going to consider removing the curriculum,” the CS declared.

The results of the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment will serve as a roadmap for the transition to JSS (KPSEA). Grades 7, 8, and 9 will make up Junior Secondary School (JSS) under the CBC

According to KNEC’s standards, they will take into account the outcomes of both the formative and summative tests while evaluating the grade six assessments that will ease the transition to grade seven.

The formative evaluation, which is collected from tests given in grades four, five, and six, will contribute 60% of the learners’ scores while the summative assessment will account for 40%. They will add up to 20% at each level, for a total of 60 percent.

Five papers will be used by KNEC to evaluate the 13 subjects available at the upper primary level. Five papers will be used by KNEC to evaluate the 13 subjects available at the upper primary level.

Related Content: CBC Contractors Will Be Paid By The New Government