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Reimagining education: Competency-Based Curriculum-leaving no child behind
Pupils at Mboto Sunrise Primary School work on their competency-based curriculum assignment under a tree in September, 2022.
I first encountered the term 'competency' as an adult. My education, driven by the 844 curriculum, focused on one outcome: passing exams. In primary school, I aimed for a minimum of 430, which would secure my place at a national school and make my parents proud.
However, I scored 404/500 and was disappointed. I eventually landed in a good provincial school, St Anne's Lioki, and continued my quest for high grades, eventually achieving an A- (Minus).
This achievement was my ticket to the University of Nairobi, a dream that kept me waiting for two years. My father's repeated advice during this time was clear: "Don't get pregnant. He enrolled me in a college to study for a diploma in Human Resource Management so that I wouldn't be idle.
When I got to university, I went on to do a degree in business administration while also getting my CPAs. I was confident that my relentless pursuit of academic excellence and the accumulation of what I considered to be the right qualifications would lead to a well-paying job, a car and a beautiful home within two years. After all, dreams are valid, right?
Throughout my primary, secondary and university years, nothing prepared me for the world that awaited me. I had not acquired the essential life skills needed to succeed. I barely knew how to apply for a job, let alone decide which job to apply for. Years of chasing high grades made my creativity dwindle.
Despite my innate entrepreneurial spirit, the way I had learned was to secure a job, not to use my skills to address the societal issues I observed. As a result, I found myself looking for a job for a longer period of time than I had anticipated.
Years after graduating from university, I find myself in the privileged position of helping my sister raise her two children, aged 10 and 5. Yes, I'm a CBC mum. As well as developing academic expertise, CBC aims to build competencies in learners, preparing them to meet the challenges facing our nation and those they will face as individuals. Research shows that the challenges our children will face as adults will be very different from those we face today. It's clear that our education system needs to be redesigned.
Being a CBC parent means I'm now more involved in the children's learning, sometimes even collecting bottle tops with them at the market or building a mud hut for a school project. Although it can be demanding, I'm determined to do everything I can to give these children a better future, and I believe all parents share this hope.
However, not all parents have access to the knowledge, skills and resources needed to support their children through CBC. I once had a revealing conversation with a boda boda rider who was frustrated with CBC because he felt ill-equipped to support his children through this new system. How can we support parents from different backgrounds to support their children through CBC?
Both my parents are teachers and even for them CBC has been a challenge, especially for my mother who teaches in a rural school in Meru. They have received very little support in terms of resources and training to implement CBC effectively. Almost all the teachers I know are committed to helping their learners succeed, but lack the knowledge and skills to do so. How do we support teachers to implement CBC effectively?
Despite the challenges, CBC has immense potential if implemented effectively. Our community includes over 160 education innovators who are redefining learning through competency-based education.
I'm looking forward to exploring this further at this year's ReimaginED summit, taking place at the Nairobi National Museums on 23 and 24 Nov. We're embarking on site visits to local leaders in our community, offering immersive experiences in reimagining education. Join us as we visit remarkable organisations such as The Action Foundation (TAF): Equipping teachers to support learners with disabilities.
Shofco Girl's Leadership Academies: Providing free education to girls in urban slums.
Jasiri Mugumo School: Fostering inventive thinking through project-based learning.
Tech Kidz Africa: Fostering a culture of creative problem solving among young innovators.
ChezaCheza: Improving children's mental health and well-being through dance therapy.
Book Bunk: Promoting a culture of reading and community transformation through library restoration.
Little Rock: Empowering children with special needs to achieve developmental milestones.
It's an opportunity for us to unite and reimagine education together, as Tom Mboya wisely said, "There's no Superman, it's up to us".
Your participation in ReimaginED could be the catalyst our education system needs. Together, we can create a more relevant, inclusive and empowering pathway to success for our children. Will you be part of the change?
Muthoni Gakwa is the Operations Manager at Metis
