Education CS Machogu
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has asked teachers to ensure that children master literacy and numeracy skills by the time they complete grade three.
CS Machogu made the remarks when the officials of Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KEPHA), led by its chairman, Mr. Johnson Nzioka, paid a courtesy call on him in his office on Monday October 10.
The Education Cabinet Secretary said foundational learning was the most critical stages of education, saying children who fail to master literacy and numeracy skills before they join grade four will never master the skills.
“We cannot manage the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) without teachers,” the Cabinet Secretary noted, saying success of CBC will depend on the teacher.
He said it was important that the government gets teachers in classrooms in the North Eastern region.
“If we don’t, children in the area will be radicalised,” Machogu noted, saying the government decision to drop the cluster requirement would help secure prospective teachers to feed schools across the country including North Eastern Region and North Rift.
He further said the reduction of subjects was meant to ease the curriculum load and was within the authority Parliament had given the Ministry to execute.
Basic Education PS Belio Kipsang on his part asked the association to think about whether learners should have two months school holiday as has been the case since 2016.
In his response, Nzioka said CBC was a good programme.
“I am happy that parents recommended to the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform (PWPER), to reduce the number of subjects to ease the curriculum load on learners,” he added.
Nzioka said that extended holiday that creates room for KCPE candidates to sit for their examinations caused problems as many learners got into socially destructive activities during the long holidays.
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