Ministry of Education Urged to Strengthen CBC Implementation.
The Ministry of Education faces rising pressure to implement the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) policy fully. This push for action stems from growing concerns that public school learners lack sufficient resources and infrastructure, putting them at a disadvantage under the current CBC system. Members of Parliament (MPs), particularly from the National Assembly’s Committee on Education, have raised issues about the Ministry’s role in ensuring that the CBC policy reaches all learners effectively.
The CBC system is at a crucial juncture. By next year, the first group of students under CBC will complete their junior secondary education and transition to senior school. This milestone highlights the urgency of ensuring that each learner gains the full benefits of the CBC curriculum. However, MPs argue that the Ministry’s slow implementation of key policies has left gaps in the curriculum rollout, limiting students’ access to a comprehensive CBC experience.
MPs voiced specific concerns about the Ministry’s inability to ensure every primary school has a junior secondary section, a requirement set by the National Assembly. This shortfall has led many students, especially in remote areas, to walk long distances to attend junior secondary school. The lack of facilities, particularly in science and technology, is another major issue. Without adequate infrastructure like laboratories, students struggle to engage fully with the CBC’s focus on technology and hands-on learning.
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Lawmakers further highlighted significant gaps in essential resources, such as electricity, which is necessary for digital learning under CBC. For instance, in one constituency, 26 public primary schools with junior secondary classes still lack electricity. Since ICT plays a key role in the CBC framework, these deficiencies hinder the proper implementation of the curriculum, widening the educational gap for learners in public schools.
The CBC system has also introduced staffing challenges that lawmakers attribute to a lack of clear policy guidelines on school governance and staffing norms. Until the Ministry addresses these gaps, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) remains underprepared to align staffing with CBC’s unique requirements. Lawmakers stressed that clearer guidance would improve staffing and budgeting, crucial to CBC’s successful implementation.
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Although the Ministry of Education claims it is advancing CBC transition plans, guided by the Basic Education Curriculum Framework of 2017, they acknowledge certain limitations. The CBC framework has undergone several revisions to address content overload and integrate subjects better, but MPs insist on further clarity, especially regarding junior and senior school funding.
Parliamentarians are also pressing for improved school feeding programs, essential in supporting CBC learners in public schools. They argue that a clear strategy on feeding programs would ensure all learners, particularly in disadvantaged areas, benefit from CBC without compromising on basic needs.
Ministry of Education Urged to Strengthen CBC Implementation.
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