Sometimes when you see politicians and those in power push for something despite the clear dangers, the leaders and politicians must have been bribed to look the other way.
The bigger agenda will always be enslavement; for the prophet warned us that governments love people who are dumb not to question.
Here below our opinion leader Shosh on the new competency based curriculum (CBC).
Tell your Member of National Assembly and your Senator to help stop this half-cooked idea before it is too late.
Hello Nyakundi,
Just seen your internet post on The notorious Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) dated 21st May 2019. I echo the strong feelings expressed against the launching of the CBC. Unfortunately the train has left the station and there is no turning back according to the Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) George Magoha, who I am sorry to say should now be dealing with those under anesthesia, not our future generation.
I see nothing good about this CBC but like the beggars I will keep hoping that wishes were horses. I remember when every A level Kenyan student qualified for university course, they were sent to the NYS training to harden them? I used to pray to God to stop this because I did not want my kid to go to the NYS training camp at Gilgil.
ALSO READ: The New Competence Based Curriculum: Doing More Harm Than Good
Not that I had been there myself as it was introduced after I had graduated from the only university then, the UON. But true life experience stories from those who trained there convinced me that I would lose my child especially if she, at 17, would display that kichwa ngumu teenage syndrome. I didnt want the trainers from hell, suffering from inferiority complex, to kill my child for me. I thank God my child didnt go to the NYS as the government had closed shop for whatever reasons.
Right now I am praying hard for the same God to save my grandkid and her parents from this CBC. Please other shosh and gukas join me. God will hear us.
As so many right thinking Kenyans who have not been consulted have observed, this thingmabob, CBC is no good for anybody but whoever is forcing it unto docile Kenyans. It will soon do irreparable psychological problems to our young kids.
Lets look at the following:
Kenya Early Years Assessment (KEYA): The first grade 3 national assessment to be done in 3 days at the end of September. I say such an assessment is misplaced for an 8 year old. Take the rural & slum malnourished and stunted kid as an example. This kid is still babyish. Has anybody found out what effect such an exam will have on such a kid. They might get exam phobia and others might suffer from psychosomatic diseases. I noted something about 9 year old standard 4 kid in the 8-4-4. Once I was called to collect him from school on two occasions as he had complained to his teacher that he could not see. I came to find out that this usually happened whenever there were double lessons for Arts and craft during tuition on weekends. Writing notes for two periods was no fun to the 9 year old.To escape, his eyes refused to see.
What about an 8 year old sitting a national exam?
ALSO READ: Urgent: ‘The new education curriculum is turning citizens into mere workers’, Wandia Njoya
During the colonial days there was a tough exam called Komoni by the villagers. Of course it was CEE or Common Entrance Exam. Most pupils then who were older kids even at sixteen feared this exam and most dropped out at standard 3 to avoid the shame of failing Komoni. One would be stigmatized as one who failed Komoni.
Why assess such young kids now?
PHOTO CURRICULUM: I have noted that the assignments these kids are given have to be accompanied by photos. “Let your parent take and print a photo of you brushing your teeth”. It might appear fun but think about the rural and slum kid whose parents have no smart phones? Printing services are 30 kms away. Who meets all these costs? Rural and Slum parents bleeding to put daily ugali on the table?
So why this obsession about photos? Of course there are job creations for some people but at whose cost? Again does a photo of a kid making a bed prove that the kid knows how to make a bed?
PARENT CURRICULUM: The curriculum designer makes the parent go back to school at the wrong time. Who wants to go back to school? Why then take the child to school if the parent is supposed to do three quarters of the learning process for the kid. It is no fun to a parent who has put 8 or so hours to his work to get home and be asked to play a game of scrabble with the equally tired child.
Some teachers are complaining that the parents are not cooperative. When they ask them to give their kids utensils etc to take to school for practical activities they dont cooperate. Of course yes but have the teachers tried to find out why from the parents?
CLAY FOR MODELLING: This one used to be there where there were streams. But now the streams have dried out and the clay is now as hard as rock. So what do the parents do? Of course there will be modelling clay dealers who gets the clay 10 kilometers away. But who meets the cost?
HOMEGROWN painting brushes from Twigs.
Where are these twigs in Githurai?
SUFURIAS and cups to clean at school. So the teacher wants mama Kamau to give Kamau her patched black sufuria and enamel cups whose paint has peeled off to go and clean at school. The mama is no fool. She does not want her son to be a laughing stock.
LESOS to clean at school. Mama Muthoni dare not give her daughter her torn daily wear leso to school. What will she wear in its place? Again she cant give away the presentable leso to be taken to school. It might be stolen. Yet this is the leso Mama Muthoni bought with her chama contributions. And it is the one she wears when invited to cook in a village function. So what does the teacher expect her to do?
VERDICT
I think it is time something was done to postpone this CBC till further research on its suitability is done. Again since only fools never change their minds, we can still go back to the 8-4-4 system which we have had for 35 years. We can make it better. Zimwi (8-4-4) linalokujua halikuli (mtoto Mkenya) likakumaliza.
This is my humble opinion, Nyakundi.
Signed: Shosh.
