Kenyans have one month to submit their ideas for improvements to the educational system after the team constituted last month began public outreach.
Parents, teachers, administrators, students, religious leaders, and other interested parties will submit their perspectives on education reforms in primary, secondary, and higher education within the next month.
Yesterday, contributions were requested via a press announcement from Prof. Raphael Munavu, chair of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms.
Any opinions from people, public and private institutions, and any interested parties are welcome by the team. The team is also anticipated to travel the nation to hear the public’s opinions.
The opinions should be expressed through written correspondence, letters, or research papers. They should be sent via email or postal service and addressed to the chairperson of the reforms team. Their office is located on the 10th floor of Absa Towers, Loita Street, Nairobi.
The 49-person delegation was assembled by President William Ruto to make recommendations regarding the education system. Much of the focus will be on basic education, where the implementation of the competency-based curriculum (CBC) has received attention from the terms of reference gazetted by the President.
An insider claims that the Kenya Kwanza government wants to combine the competency- and value-based education at the center of CBC with the 8-4-4 system of education, which is being phased out.
Many parents have expressed dissatisfaction with the quantity and type of homework assigned to their children as well as with parental involvement in education. The move to junior secondary school, which starts in only two months, is also causing a lot of anxiety.
Many parents are still concerned about how their children will be put in junior secondary in January as a result of the shift in emphasis from standardised exams to school-based formative assessments.
The working group was established on September 29 by the president, who gave it six months to complete its job and present its recommendations. However, every two months, progress reports are supposed to be given to Dr. Ruto.
The team is composed of experts from many sectors. Unions and organisations for professors and lecturers, however, were not included. Nevertheless, they have indicated a readiness to share their opinions.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua stated last week when he inaugurated the team that they “must undertake a summative evaluation that answers our most essential issues and eliminates the inconsistencies, overlaps, and other inefficiencies holding us back from the promise of a more robust performance.”
The working party separated into committees after the conclusion of its induction on Friday to address the many concerns that were anticipated to be brought up.
“Tell the truth to us. Keep things how it is and don’t turn around. We don’t want to be complimented or told what we want to hear. Create a report that reflects what Kenyans want by listening to the people of Kenya.
The curriculum review will be used to socialize children to adopt positive values, according to yesterday’s statement by Prof. Kithure Kindiki, cabinet nominee for internal security, “because the drug menace has cascaded to young sections of the population and only the education system can be used to instil positive moral values.”
Stakeholders in basic education will make recommendations on the best way to implement the CBC and run the basic education sub-sector. Kenyans’ views on the switch from the 8-4-4 structure to the 2-6-6-3 on which CBC is based are split.
Value-based education, community service learning, parental empowerment, and participation are other topics under attention in basic education.
Participants in higher education will share their opinions on the regulatory and financial environment for technical
