Uncertainty surrounds curriculum roll-out for nursery schools

More than four million children are to be put on a new education system when schools reopen next week.

Those to be enrolled in the programme are learners in Pre-Primary 1 and Pre-Primary 2, which will be run under the sponsorship of counties since the early childhood education programme is a devolved function.

The rest of the learners, in Grade I to III, are sponsored under the free primary school learning programme which the government sends funds directly to schools.

FINANCIAL GAPS

But the roll-out of the PP1 and PP2 programmes is shrouded in uncertainty after the Council of Governors last week rejected the competency-based programme, arguing counties were not ready for it.

Council chairman Josphat Nanok said governors did not have money to support the programme.

Mr Nanok said the government has not provided funds to meet the costs of the competency-based curriculum.

“County governments were neither provided with the unit cost of implementing the curriculum per child nor with estimated costs of every mandatory component of the syllabus,” Mr Nanok said.

He added that the roll-out of the curriculum at county level may have serious financial implications that are not manageable within the 2018-2020 medium term expenditure budgets.

He called for talks with the government on how to fill the financial gaps that would come with the roll-out of the curriculum.

The governors spoke after teachers also rejected the planned roll-out of the new curriculum in January until the government addresses the gaps pointed out by evaluators.

NOT CONSULTED

Knut secretary-general Wilson Sossion said teachers were not consulted on the decision to change the full roll-out date of the new curriculum from 2020 to January 2019.

Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said the decision had been arrived at after consultation with various stakeholders, including faith-based organisations, Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, Teachers Service Commission (TSC), Kenya National Examinations Council, Kenya Private Schools Association, Kenya Publishers Association, Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association, Kenya Primary School Heads Association, and the National Parents Association.

Ms Mohamed said any challenges on the system will be addressed as the implementation progressed.

Particularly, she said, the ministry will finalise and launch the National Curriculum Policy Framework in January 2019

She has also presented the Sessional Paper on Reforming Education and Training Sector in Kenya to Parliament that would likely be given priority in February when the House, currently on recess, resumes its sessions.

TEACHER TRAINING

Ms Mohamed also plans to launch the National Education Sector Strategic Plan for the period 2018-2022 in February.

According to the CS’ plan, the Directorate of Quality Assurance and Standards will be tasked to rigorously track the implementation of the CBC in all sub-counties across the country.

“The curriculum focus at the Ministry of Education will be re-organised to secure supervision and evaluation of the CBC in all public, private and special needs institutions across the country,” she said.

The process of teacher-training programme across the country will also be stepped up in the new year, led by TSC.

On its part, Knec will develop an assessment framework with clearly spelt out competencies at every level.

The Sunday Nation has learnt that Ms Mohamed had planned a countrywide intensive monitoring exercise to ensure the CBC takes off smoothly.