The first Black President of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Nelson Madiba Mandela is known as a champion for equality and humanity. And under his visionary leadership, he said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Certainly, his words have had a ripple effect through decades in bridging literacy gap especially in Africa that have resulted in improved health, development and promotion of peace in the region.
But change is inevitable, with new technology and ideologies we are living in a generation that is challenging norms and poking holes in most of the guidelines that were given by our forefathers. These days you don’t work hard but work smart! Street smart pays better, and our young people are increasingly tech savvy and at the same time a disadvantaged lot.
They have the highest number of unemployed. In 2018, the Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) released a report that revealed that nine out of every 10 unemployed Kenyans are 35 years and below; the largest unemployment rate was recorded in the age group 20–24. An idle population are a burden to the economy. To turn around a staggering economy into a vibrant one, the productivity of our education system plays a huge role. Therefore, the government’s move to change the curriculum into a competency based one is a huge step in the right direction. As opposed to the previous curriculum which was highly dependent on theoretical work, this curriculum is so hands on. It not only gives our children the opportunity to identify their skill strengths at a very early stage but also allows them to learn critical life skills and trades that will pay great dividends to the economy if put into good use.
One of the biggest gains of the Competency Based Curriculum is that its skill based and learner centered. Previously, it was difficult for young people to smoothly transition into the world of work because they were more of book ready as opposed to a practical oriented work force. As such it was difficult to deliver on simple assignments, and even if they sorted to be self-employed their options were limited as they had little or no hands-on skills to venture into.
But the new curriculum, directly engages a student on practical tasks that not only nurture a critical thinker but also an innovative problem solver who has a real world/work experience at the classroom level. This direct student-teacher engagement allows for personalized support hence the teacher is able to identify a student’s areas of weakness and work on improving them at an early stage. It also engages the parents or guardians to keep up to date with their children’s learning activities at school giving all parties involved a better understanding of the outcomes of their educational needs. The curriculum also incorporates computer literacy which is now a requisite skill in the job market at a very early stage hence improving the quality of labor in future.
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