New curriculum to be rolled out in January 2019 as Govt changes tune

The government is now set to roll out the new school curriculum in January next year following public uproar over plans to push it to 2020.

This comes after Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed last week announced that the new curriculum pilot will continue for one more year to allow for alignment in teacher service training.

CS Amina stated that the stakeholders agreed to continue with the pilot programme and start training of tutors in teacher’s colleges on the new curriculum in January 2019 before rolling out in 2020.

In a statement to the press on Saturday, however, the CS stated that her ministry will now commence a “methodical and carefully organised phased roll-out” of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) effective January 1, 2019 in pre-primary I and II as well as Grades 1, 2, and 3.

“Early in the New Year, the Ministry of Education will issue a detailed roll-out plan and timetable for the other grades that will lead to the last cohort of pupils sitting for their Kenya certificate of Primary education (KCPE) in the year 2023 and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in the year 2027,” said CS Amina.

She further stated that stakeholders will ensure immediate and continued intensive in-service training of teachers, review of the Basic Education Act as well as preparation of curriculum designs for Grade 4 by March 2019.

She added that the ministry would oversee the inauguration of a National Secretariat to steer the CBC, and that the development of an assessment framework for PP1 to Grade 3 as well as preparation of curriculum designs for Grade 4 will be done by March next year.