Matiang'i asks universities to take role in school curriculum review

Universities have been urged to play a leading role in the ongoing review of the school curriculum.

Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said the new curriculum requires the input of all stakeholders, including universities.

“The new curriculum will determine the quality of students that will come from schools to join universities and that is why you must contribute to this exercise,” said Dr Matiang'i, in a speech read on his behalf in Nairobi by Commission for University Education chief executive David Some during a workshop on the harmonisation of standards in university education in Nairobi.

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, which will do the review, has embarked on a needs assessment whose findings will inform the reform process.

The curriculum review policy developed by the government aims to give Kenyans a competence-based curriculum to replace the current one, which has been blamed for rote learning in schools.

The new curriculum will emphasise early identification and nurturing of talents and the introduction of national values, cohesion and integration in the curriculum.

Dr Matiang’i also disclosed that several semi-autonomous state agencies in the ministry would be merged to reduce duplication of work.

TWO UNIVERSITIES TO CLOSE

At the same time, Prof Some disclosed that two universities are set to close shop after failing to meeting the regulations.

“We are winding up Inoorero University and Genco University [a private open learning university] in due course as they have failed to meet the requirements of setting up universities,” said Prof Some.