To split the Bill unevenly, education pays most

Kenyans took to the streets (real & virtual) in a big way this week as the Finance Bill 2024 remained squarely in focus. Education was the biggest casualty of proposed amendments to the budget, JSS interns had their hopes raised then dropped and the cleanse against the scourge of fake academic certificates rolled on. Rwanda made a big on TVET while a major milestone was achieved in Tanzania.

Here are the main stories in Education this week:

• JSS interns take a step forward
• TUK fires hundreds over fake academic papers
• President bargains with education sector

SPOTLIGHT

CBC here to stay: A short story

The end

A three-judge bench has declined to stop the rollout of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) which replaced the 8-4-4 education system. The judges have, however, ordered the Education CS to amend the education laws to align with the structure of CBC in 120 days.

"It is evident that the Competency-Based Curriculum has already been rolled out, the teachers have undergone training, and the government has already set out finances for the implementation. Stopping implementation will cause havoc in the education system." -Judges

The beginning

The national rollout of the Competency-Based Curriculum started in January 2019 at Pre-Primary I and II and Grades 1, 2 and 3 in lower primary. The 2-6-3-3-3 curriculum was billed as the ultimate game changer in the country’s education as it seeks to plug gaps noted under the 8-4-4 system of rote learning.

However, the government has been faulted for failing to demonstrate that it initiated and conducted research to inform the national government of the CBC curriculum among other things.

The main target of this case, initially filed in 2021, was the then Early Childhood and Basic Education PS Julius Jwan. In court documents, Jwan argued that CBC was introduced out of the need to have the right skills that would industrialise Kenya. The new system was benchmarked with countries such as Malaysia and South Korea. 

The PS traced Kenya’s education reforms from 1964 when a commission was formed by then Education Minister Joseph Otiende to craft a new system that would restructure the colonial system of learning, to the 2011 task force led by Prof Dauglas Okoth, which recommended a 2-6-6-2-3 system.

CBC was introduced through Basic Education Curriculum Framework 2017 [download] and Sessional Paper No. 1 of 2019 on the policy framework for reforming education and training for sustainable development in Kenya. The government is currently in the final stages of implementing the competency-based curriculum (CBC) in higher learning institutions.

HEADLINES

The week's main stories

• JSS interns take a step forward. At least 20,000 intern teachers will now get permanent jobs beginning in July. The teachers will be instrumental in executing teaching in junior secondary schools as the pioneer class enters Grade 9 in January next year. The employment of teachers on an internship basis has been a point of concern leading to a standoff, a strike, layoffs and even a pending court case between the interns and TSC.
• TUK fires hundreds over fake academic papers. Over 350 staff members at the Technical University of Kenya have been struck off the higher learning institution’s payroll following an audit that found that they hold questionable academic documents. The issue of fake academic qualifications has attracted the attention of authorities.
• President bargains with education sector. “I am asking the Members of Parliament who are here to expedite what is in Parliament (Finance Bill) so that we can transit these well-deserving teachers who have been teaching for the last two years and make them permanent and pensionable," he said in Garissa. The President also called on MPs to pass the Finance Bill for school-going children to access free meals.

INSIGHT

Biggest winners turn biggest losers

“If the revenue-raising measures contained in the Finance Bill 2024 are not approved by the National Assembly, there will be a likely revenue shortfall of approximately Ksh200 billion.” –Treasury CS, Njuguna Ndung’u

The ongoing debate on the Finance Bill 2024 [download] has seen parties on both sides of the divide hold onto their beliefs more and more firmly. Those defending the contentious Bill insist that rejecting it will have negative impacts on the economy.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve continued to see just how much in need of funding this sector is. The consequences of inadequate funding and improper administration of funds are not lost on us. But the sector with the biggest budgetary allocation is the easiest target now that the government is facing pressure from a restless population.

In last week’s reading of the Budget, Treasury CS, Njuguna Ndung’u had proposed a total allocation of KES 657 billion to the education sector (27.6% of total government expenditure) while at the same time underlining the Government's commitment to Education.

The President and supporters of the Bill are relying on a narrative of negative consequences as a means to gain support from Parliament. Here are some of the biggest amounts being slashed from Education:

• KES 18.9 bn meant for confirmation of JSS interns;
• KES 3.4 bn meant for the State Department for Basic Education to facilitate school feeding programs & infrastructure for schools;
• KES 3.2 bn meant for the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB);
• KES 800 mn meant for ongoing projects for TVET & Technical Training Institutions.

Supporters of the Finance Bill 2024 are effectively passing the buck to those against it by blaming them for the outcome of the proposed changes.

"I am asking the MPs to expedite the bill in Parliament so that we can make that facility available to vulnerable children who otherwise will be out of school unless there is a meal for them there.” – President Ruto

Where to next? It appears a few steps back. Hopefully back to the drawing board.

PAUSE

NEWS

What else we learned

• Mandera South MP, Abdul Haro, has introduced the Teachers Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2024 seeking to effect payment of allowances and also limit the period in which teachers who take up administrative roles can act in a position before being confirmed. KNUT Secretary-General Collins Oyuu voiced his support for the Bill.
• Thousands of teachers risk missing their retirement benefits owing to lack of their details in the government system. TSC blamed this on improper registration with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). TSC called on teachers to update their details before June 21 to secure their benefits. Upon attaining the mandatory retirement age of 60, teachers are expected to apply for their benefits, with the NSSF membership card being a crucial document in the process.
• The Director of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), Charles Ong’ondo, has appealed to secondary schools to share laboratory facilities with Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) within their neighbourhoods. Many Junior Secondary Schools in the country lack laboratories for pupils to undertake practicals. “The government is planning to construct laboratories in each primary school besides the 16,000 grade 9 classrooms it launched recently,” he said.

QUICK

One liners

• Crisis over expiry of licences for agents linking Kenyan students with foreign varsities [Nation #1] [Nation #2]
• Study: Why learners perform poorly in mathematics, sciences [The Standard]
• School principals raise red flag over child labour in gold mines [The Standard]
• Teachers union asks TSC to implement 2018 CBA in totality [The Star]

REGION

What's happening next door?

[UG] EAC council on education to discuss Kiswahili language policy [New Vision]

[UG] Govt to construct 60 secondary schools, renovate 50 [New Vision]

[UG] UNEB reports 1.3 million candidates registered for 2024 examinations. These registrations cover the four main sets of national examinations: the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) for both the new and old curriculum, and the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE). This year's registration marks an increase of 78,279 candidates compared to last year's total of 1,224,371, reflecting a 6.0% rise. [Nile Post]

[TZ] Athletics Tanzania offers training for school teachers [The Citizen]

[TZ] Renewed hope for teen mothers as Tanzania to change law to allow school re-entry. Annually, more than 15,000 girls in Tanzania drop out of the formal education system because of pregnancy, according to data from Human Rights Watch. The government under John Magufuli took away the girls' right to education. [Nation]

[RW] Practical national examinations kick-off with first cohort in nursing schools [New Times]

[RW] Rwanda secures over $100m to set up TVET centres of excellence. Last week, Parliament passed the law approving the ratification of the loan agreement between the Government of Rwanda and Korea EXIM Bank relating to the loan for the establishment of the centers of excellence for TVET in the country. The financing agreement was signed in Seoul, South Korea, on June 5. [New Times]

EXTRA

Remember what you rote?

Rote learning insists on repetition. It was a core part of how we learned in the 8-4-4 system and we seemingly made it out fine. But it has its shortcomings. This short insightful video will give you something to think about as far as your approach to teaching or learning. Perhaps it’s no wonder that we can learn much from ‘Gen-Z’s’ as the approach to teaching them under CBC continues to evolve away from older methods, as all things do over time in the search for better.

These are challenging times for the country - and these problems won't fix themselves. Any action that moves us forward, even if small, is progress.

That's all for this week's edition of TWIE.

Thank you for your continued feedback and support.