Officials from Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports are in the country on a five-day benchmarking exercise on the successful management of Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) and Competency Based Assessment (CBA) reforms. Speaking on Monday at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) Nairobi, Head of Ugandan Delegation, Commissioner for Basic Education Dr. Cleophas Mugenyi said that this exercise would help them not only learn from Kenya as a country on the implementation of the CBC, and CBA but also improve their education system. ‘Uganda is having a paradigm shift in education and we are in the process of transitioning our primary education curriculum from knowledge-based to competency-based, along with the piloting of the Early Grade Math Assessment (EGMA),’ said Dr. Mugenyi. He noted that Uganda identified Kenya for the learning experience on CBC since it has been implemented and it is considered a success in the region. ‘This experiential learning visit will ensure the three elements: curriculum, assessment, and pedagogical practices are well-aligned during our curriculum development process. We are also willing to share our experiences with you so that you can learn from us too,’ he added. The Kenya Primary Education Equity in Learning (KPEEL) National Project Coordinator, Martha Ekirapa commended the country for the progress made in the implementation of CBC and policy reforms aimed at strengthening the education system of the 21st Century. She credited Kenya’s progress in the education reforms across all levels on the political good will in the Country. ‘All policies in education are given a priority in the implementation for the good of every child,’ she said. She noted that the education sector receives the largest share of the national budget which has made it possible to implement education reforms without any delay. ‘We also have education partners who are funding several other programmes in the Basic Education,’ added Ekirapa. Ekirapa said Kenya’s CBC focuses on an individual learner which promotes nurturing of every child’s potential. ‘This is why learners with special needs are assessed differently where their potentials are identified and nurtured. They also get more funding on capitation as they are considered a special category and their needs are unique,’ she said. She stated that apart from the KICD, the delegates will also visit the Kenya National Examinations (KNEC) and Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) where both teams will engage positively. ‘Since the team wants to see the impact of the CBC system in the country, we shall have a field trip to schools. The visit will involve two counties; that is Machakos and Nakuru so that they have a feel on how CBC is a learner-centered curriculum,’ she said. However, the KPEEL National project coordinator said there are challenges in implementing CBC for instance management of large classrooms. She said teachers are encouraged to do a group learning setup for each learner to participate. ‘The government has also prioritized employment of more trained teachers,’ she added. According to Ekirapa, Uganda is among several other countries benchmarking in the country on the implementation of CBC. The exchange tour will last till September 29th.
Source: Kenya News Agency