Deans of schools of education in public and private universities have been told that they bear the responsibility of ensuring that all teachers graduating going forward have the skills to deliver the Competency-based Curriculum (CBC).
They were further told that the success of the program that is entering the junior secondary phase in January depends on how well teachers handle the novel curriculum.
The Vice Chancellor of South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU) Prof Geoffrey Muluvi, while giving the keynote address at the 3rd Education Deans Consultative Forum held at the University of Embu yesterday urged the deans to urgently harmonize the content they deliver to their students so that eventually there will be uniformity in the delivery of CBC.
The forum’s theme is “Competency-based teacher education: Reflecting on preparedness”.
He advised them to come up with a common position to present to the task force appointed by President William Ruto to look into the new curriculum that completes the basic phase this term.
The forum was also addressed by Professor Daniel Mugendi of the University of Embu who said that the task force was appointed at an opportune time and urged the deans to examine it critically so that they make constructive presentations to the task force.
Prof Muluvi said there was a need for universities and other tertiary institutions to involve parents in the management of students to prevent wastage.
He said many students were falling by the wayside because they were unable to manage their newfound freedom especially when living off campus.
“Universities assume these youngsters are adults who can manage themselves while in fact many are struggling to make the necessary social adjustments”, he said, adding that as a consequence, some lag behind and have had to be discontinued.
Prof Muluvi, who is also the chair of the Vice Chancellors’ committee called for a review of the university funding model saying the ‘Differentiated Unit Cost” model adopted five years ago had left some of the public universities in dire financial straits.
He proposed that funding should be based on 80 percent capitation, up from the current 50 percent if the universities were to be able to invest in facilities for the provision of 21st-century education.
By Steve Gatheru
