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Kenya is one of the countries that have a competency-based curriculum (CBC). The journey to making CBC a reality started in 2017. Although the curriculum has faced challenges, it bodes well for the future of Kenya in relation to global projections and industrial growth. The seven core competencies in the curriculum speak to the real societal needs and how to respond to them.
CBC has brought new learning areas that were taught before. This means teachers must be trained in areas which they will teach. Additionally, training needs for the curriculum of both teacher training colleges and universities are yet to resonate with Prof Douglas Odhiambo’s report of 2012 on improving the quality and relevance of education, especially on the aspect of special needs education.
Very little has been mentioned concerning learners with disabilities in the new dispensation. Sessional paper No. 1 of 2019 on the rationale of its existence peaks to the need to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and to promote lifelong learning opportunities for all in order to give every Kenyan the right to education and training as envisioned in the Constitution.
Chapter 4 of the sessional paper on enhancing access, equity, quality and relevance speaks to the need to increase access to education and training for learners with special needs, enhance enrollment, enhance retention, transition and completion, strengthen early identification, intervention, assessment, referral placement and follow up services as well as ensure opportunity and gender parity in the provision of education to learners with special needs.
The sessional paper further illustrates that government will provide quality and inclusive education and training to learners with special learning needs as well as strengthen assessment for early identification, placement and referrals. Although this policy framework on inclusive education exists, very little has been achieved as reported by the task force on Enhancing Access, Relevance, Transition, Equity and Quality for Effective Curriculum Reforms Implementation.
By Collins Oyuu