The Competence-Based Curriculum training for teachers in Tana River County is going on without a hitch despite opposition from The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT).
Some 708 teachers from 177 primary schools are undergoing the training in nine zones in the three sub counties of Tana River, Tana Delta and Tana North, County Director of Education, Lawrence Karuntimi said on Wednesday.
Those being trained are 280 teachers from Tana Delta Sub County, 208 from Tana River Sub County and 220 from Tana North Sub County.
“They include three teachers and one head teacher from every public primary school in the county,” Karuntimi said.
“We had a few teething problems on the first day (Tuesday), but we have surmounted them and now everything is smooth,” he told the Kenya News Agency on phone from Tarasaa in Tana Delta Sub County.
Although KNUT officials in the county have not prevented any teacher from attending the training sessions, they have taken the position of the national officials that the training is ill timed and a waste of resources.
The KNUT Tana River Branch Executive Secretary, Michael Babwoya said the Ministry of Education should have consulted all stakeholders before implementing the new curriculum.
“Education that is not well planned is not going to be beneficial to our children,” Mr. Babwoya told the Kenya News Agency at the KNUT offices in Hola Town on Wednesday.
He said the union was opposed to the teachers being taken through the training, saying according to the union, the curriculum was not ripe for implementation.
“It requires all stakeholders to be involved in all educational matters for us to take a common stand for the sake of our children,” he said adding, “The Ministry of Education has failed in this.”
He said there was need for more time to enable stakeholders interrogate the advantages and disadvantages of the new curriculum.
“It is evident that we are not ready for the new curriculum since key materials have not reached the schools,” he said adding that this could bring confusion in the education sector.
Tana River County has more than 1,500 teachers but only about 1,200 are members of KNUT, he said, adding that his office was doing everything possible to recruit the remaining 300 to the union.
“We have had challenges in reaching the teachers due to the geographical conditions of the county, but we are doing our best to reach all teachers,” he said.
By Emmanuel Masha
