Shortage of teachers, inadequate infrastructure and lack of training for teachers are the main challenges facing implementation of Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) in Makueni.
Stakeholders speaking during the county’s dialogue on quality competency based education at Makueni Boys on Thursday want the government to set aside enough funds to employ teachers and improve infrastructure for CBC to be a success.
County Teacher’s Service Commission (TSC) Director Catherine Mwenda said plans were under way to employ teachers on a contractual basis to address the acute shortage.
“Currently in Makueni we have a shortage of 896 teachers in primary and 2252 teachers in secondary schools. Although we have not received official communication to employ teachers on contract, it is one of the ways we are exploring to curb the shortage,” said Ms. Mwenda.
She further said that the government will employ teachers to replace those who exit the service through retirement and natural attrition.
“In the forth-coming recruitment, we are expecting to receive a number of slots to fill in the gaps,” she said.
On teacher training, the TSC director said that they have already trained over 3,700 teachers out of the 8,000 in primary schools and plans were underway to train the rest in august.
“Besides teachers we have also trained all Curriculum Support Officers (CSOs) and three teachers in every public school including grade four teachers,” said the director.
She also disclosed that TSC was compiling a data base for special skilled teachers in secondary schools to identify the gaps before CBC is rolled out to secondary schools.
She decried the high rate of teenage pregnancies in Kibwezi sub-county and asked stakeholders to collaborate and bring the vice to an end.
Ms. Mwenda noted that dropout rates among girls was high due to pregnancies and underscored the need to protect both the girl and the boy child.
“We are losing our boys to drugs and betting. I appeal to stakeholders to ensure that children rights are upheld,” she said.
County Director of Education Mr. James Gachungi lamented over inadequate funding for curriculum activities which he said is a key component in CBC.
Speaking at the same forum, the county Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KeSSHA) chairman Mr. Julius Mutwii called for engagement of all stakeholders in the implementation of CBC.
He noted that the earlier opposition to the CBC was due to lack of sensitization and involvement of key stake holders in the roll out of the new curriculum.
The KeSSHA chairman called upon the ministry of education to embrace dialogue and desist from issuing threats to those opposed to CBC.
Speaking at the same forum, County Executive Committee Member for Education, Mr. Joshua Wambua said the county government will build 22 model Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centres as a way of boosting CBC in the area.
Director In-charge of University Education at the Ministry of Education Mr. Darius Mogaka reading a speech on behalf of Cabinet Secretary for Education George Magoha said the county dialogues will help assess the status of CBC implementation and come with interventions to improve the new curriculum.
By Patrick Nyakundi/Roselyne Kavoo
