New Changes in CBC Framework After Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) Promises Improved Learning
Under the Competence Curriculum Framework, learners have commenced the 2024 school calendar with a revised curriculum featuring a reduced number of learning areas and fewer weekly lessons compared to the previous academic year. These modifications were instated following a decision by the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, to enact a recommendation from the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER).
The adjustments are outlined in a Circular, signed by the Principal Secretary for Basic Education, Belio Kipsang, and distributed to regional directors of education, as well as their counterparts in the counties and sub-counties, to facilitate the coordinated implementation of the policy decision at the school level.
One of the recommendations made by PWPER to President William Ruto was for KICD to “rationalize the number of learning areas and curriculum designs in terms of scope, integration of subjects within a learning area, gaps, content overload, and overlaps in Basic Education.”
These changes carry significant implications for the provision of high-quality educational experiences and outcomes for learners across all categories. The recommendation directly addresses the prerequisites for inclusive and quality education at all levels of the basic education curriculum.
Firstly, the realignment fosters focus, rigor, and interconnectedness of the topics and concepts inherent in the curriculum. The inclusion of contemporary or emerging issues in the existing subjects ensures that learners are exposed not to isolated pieces of information but to a cohesive body of knowledge and skills.
“The greatest service we can do to education today is to teach fewer subjects. No one has time to do more than a very few things well before he is twenty, and when we force a boy to be a mediocrity in a dozen subjects, we destroy his standards, perhaps for life, “ C.S. Lewis, the British writer, and theologian observed.
Reorganizing the curriculum load implies that teachers will invest more time in each topic. This extended focus ensures that students gain a comprehensive understanding of the subjects, concepts, and ideas, without being burdened by unfinished workload.
The increased time dedicated to individual topics or sequences means that students will progressively develop a deeper comprehension of a specific subject before progressing to more challenging and complex yet interconnected topics or ideas.
The unhurried teaching and learning of the restructured content have several implications. It signifies that learners will prioritize comprehension and knowledge over merely memorizing vast amounts of facts and information that may lack significance in their cognitive understanding and relevance to their lives.
Additionally, this approach implies that enhanced learning will encourage students to delve further into topics, ideas, and concepts through peer learning, observation, reflection, and research in various educational resources such as textbooks, books, and supplementary materials found in school, at home, or public libraries.
Improved learning outcomes also mean that students will possess a relatively greater knowledge base, better equipping them for subsequent, comparatively more complex topics, ideas, and concepts.
Learning will no longer be an arduous experience lacking meaning; the wealth of background knowledge acquired will make the process of learning new things more graceful.
When students find the content meaningful, they are more likely to stay engaged in their education. The curriculum realignment and the authentic learning it promises may indirectly contribute to addressing truancy, as students are less likely to stay away from school without a valid reason.
While truancy has various causes, the perceived lack of meaning in school for some students is a significant factor leading to absenteeism.
With a more organized curriculum, teachers will have the freedom to thoroughly prepare for their instructional responsibilities during class hours. A well-prepared teacher is more effective, and this recommendation will facilitate the development of the high-order thinking skills inherent in the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
