Registrar of Kasarani Group of Schools Purity Wangui
By: John Kariuki
Worth Noting:
- Kenya is a developing country that is constantly looking for ways to grow. The implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum is one example of such development. The establishment of this framework arose from the need to update and enhance Kenya’s education system.
- Language is a tool we use to exchange and convey information with others. Under this curriculum, our learners are able to acquire the skill and ability to exchange with others’ thoughts, information and behaviour.
- One of the key outcomes of a quality education is a learner’s ability to utilise the following critical thinking skills: problem-solving, making judgements and reasoning.
The Competence Based Curriculum abbreviated as CBC has been hailed as a practical solution especially in equipping learners. The Mount Kenya Times E-paper sought to hear from the leading private school in Nairobi County, Kasarani Group of Schools which has held the number one position in Nairobi County consistently.
In 2023 KCPE the school posted an impressive Mean score of 393.3.
Helping us to delve and understand CBC is none other than the schools Admin. Madam Purity Wangui.
“The implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum in Kenya was prompted by a variety of factors aimed at transforming the country’s education system. The conventional rote-learning method was deemed inadequate in preparing learners for the modern world.
Why the Competency-Based Curriculum?
Kenya is a developing country that is constantly looking for ways to grow. The implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum is one example of such development. The establishment of this framework arose from the need to update and enhance Kenya’s education system. The education sector considered that it was equally important to promote knowledge application as it was to promote its acquisition.
The implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum emphasised what learners were expected to do rather than what they were expected to know. For example, it is not enough that students know the process of growing a plant; instead, they could be tasked with sprouting a plant from a bean, which allows them the opportunity to apply the acquired knowledge to real-life scenarios.”
What are the seven core competencies of the Competency-Based Curriculum?
Communication and collaboration
Language is a tool we use to exchange and convey information with others. Under this curriculum, our learners are able to acquire the skill and ability to exchange with others’ thoughts, information and behaviour. The Competency-Based Curriculum necessitates for collaboration in a number of learning activities. Work can be done in pairs or groups if not the entire class. This encourages learners to speak to one another and be cooperative in order to achieve a common goal.
Critical thinking and problem solving
One of the key outcomes of a quality education is a learner’s ability to utilise the following critical thinking skills: problem-solving, making judgements and reasoning. This skill is important as it allows learners to constantly evolve their thinking and adapt in the future.
Imagination and creativity
A child’s mind is rather creative and imaginative in their formative years. The Competency-Based Curriculum capitalises on that aptitude. It encourages learners to convert what is in their imagination into creative materials. It also motivates learners to seek out new ideas and turn them into reality.
Citizenship
A community is a group of people who share a common belief or identity. This shared identity is often anchored by subcommunities. The more the group of people in this community grows, the more set of values they share. Once they are governed by a political, economic, social and religious framework, they become citizens. They experience a sense of belonging and patriotism – wanting to uphold what is right and condemn wrong behaviour. The Competency-Based curriculum encourages our learners to understand their role as members of a larger community.
Learning to learn
Learning is a never-ending endeavour. Acquiring new information allows one to become a better decision maker and problem solver. The Competency-Based Curriculum encourages our teachers to teach learners how to think and not what to think, which means learners will develop an inclination to seek new information, even outside the confines of the school system.
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