Parents and stakeholders in the Ministry of Education have been in a tussle for awhile now as they all try to come up with best measures to actualise the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC).

While some feel that CBC is of great importance especially to their young ones as it exposes them to relevant avenues, others feel that it requires a lot of resources and finances which they are currently unable to provide due to the high cost of living in the country.

Further, they feel that their grade six pupils should not be housed in high schools due to the age difference between them and students in high school. Reportedly, in many cases, form ones have undergone bullying in some high schools, hence parents are hesitant and afraid that their children might fall victim of the same yet they are still too young to handle the trauma that comes with bullying.

In June this year, the Education ministry was mulling the retention of primary school learners in the same schools as they transition to junior secondary school. To most parents, this was the best idea.

President Ruto came up with a task force to collect views from parents and stakeholders in regard to the CBC issue which has caused a stir in recent days. Led by the chairman, Prof Raphael Munavu, the task force promised to collect views physically or via email.

“The views should be submitted by way of memoranda, letters, or research papers and should address the following areas: Implementation of aspects guiding the competency-based approach including but not limited to value-based education, community service learning, parental empowerment and engagement,” the gazette notice read.

Another issue that is affecting implementation of CBC is insufficient facilities. A section of schools especially the secondary schools have decried insufficient facilities. This comes even though the government had already set aside some funds.

 In terms of public schools, 6,497 classrooms had been constructed as of July this year in the first phase.

Former Education CS George Magoha in a statement noted that most counties were at 97 percent construction apart from a few counties in Western and Rift Valley regions.

As this happens, reports indicated that plans were underway for the government to scrap off the School Fees Subsidy that was put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic. From January 2023, all children in extra-county secondary schools would have to pay Ksh53,554 up from Ksh45,000.

This is a critical issue and parents as well as stakeholders need the intervention of the government and relevant bodies to assist in coming up with amicable solutions. It is a dilemma that needs to be solved as soon as possible.