The Ministry of Education will actively involve both primary and secondary school heads in drafting the new education curriculum as it embarks on reforming the sector. Cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i, while addressing the 41st secondary school heads association annual conference in Mombasa yesterday, said the curriculum change was unstoppable, adding that all stakeholders will be consulted to ensure it is in tandem with other sector reforms.
He said education reforms were overdue and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development was finalising the document before it is presented to principals, who he termed as key stakeholders, for their input. “We want to produce a competence-based curriculum.
We are doing it carefully so that it suits every stakeholder, including the learners,” said Matiang’i. He said the reform process, which will see an overhaul of the curriculum, will be the most comprehensive re-organisation of the country’s education system in recent years.
The changes, which will be undertaken by the ministry through KICD, are expected to address mismatch between the curriculum and market needs as well as come up with new strategies for gauging learner abilities. The education system has often come under criticism for failing to address market needs, with scores of graduates finding themselves ill-equipped to meet job demands.
The current system has also been blamed for promoting rote learning. Matiang’i said he was happy that 90 per cent of secondary schools have complied with the new fees guidelines. He challenged the school heads to use the capitation allocation from the government for priority projects. “If you increase fees, we will engage you to know where is the problem.
Some schools have projects running which are genuine,” said Matiang’i. Matiang’i, who was accompanied by PS Belio Kipsang and President’s adviser on education Kiremi Mweria, warned the school heads against abetting national exam malpractices, saying the government will take tough disciplinary action upon perpetrators. “The government will not accept excuses. No stories again. We want to deliver credible exams,” he said.
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