There is a looming conflict between Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary General, Wilson Sossion and new Education Cabinet Secretary, Professor George Magoha over the implementation of the new curriculum.
The Ministry of Education is expected to roll out training of teachers in preparation to kickstart the new curriculum, an exercise that has faced rejection from the teachers union who has so far advised its members to stay away.
The situation is setting up tow strong-willed individuals on the collision course. Prof Magoha is expected to lead the ministry and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) officials in launching the exercise in the capital, Nairobi.
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and other agencies and departments in the ministry are expected to join. Mr. Sossion said the exercise is illegal, saying that it has not been gazette and that it lacks clear guidelines
“Teachers should avoid any activity…until the process is sanitized through public participation,” he said.
Some of the issues cited by the union against the new curriculum include; rushed implementation, lack of support in monitoring books, inadequate infrastructure due to extremely high enrolment and failure to involve the participation of private schools in the training.
The KNUT boss described the new curriculum as a foreign investment that seeks to drown the Kenyan learners in the long run.
“Trainers, teachers and facilitators are still incompetent in the delivery of CBC approach to teachers and learners……as teachers we are not going to cheat the public that we are teaching….we are not…we don’t have the capacity…,” said Sossion.
The KICD new curriculum design aims at improving competence in other areas of study; languages, technology, psychomotor, creative arts, mathematics, environment, business, and religious education.
The new curriculum rolled out in 2018 was developed within professional frameworks by thoroughly engaging stakeholders throughout the process.