As Kenyans wait for the Supreme Court ruling with a bated breath, parents with children under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) have varied expectations.
Speaking to the press on Sunday, September 4, some of the parents are calling for the incoming President to review the rollout of the curriculum.
They argued that, as is, the demands from the syllabus are too much for parents to bare both emotionally and financially.
Tana River Senator-elect Danson Mungatana blamed the state arguing that parents had to struggle all day long to put food on the table but are also expected to sit down with them and create art pieces.
“If we are going with this system, how are we going to make it practical? Because it is unfair that everyday when we come home as a father or mother we have to sit and make a cap with the child after struggling to make a living for them,” argued Mungatana.
Lans Kadenge, a parent based at the Tana Delta, also decried financial pressure from the ongoing rollout unfavouring households already struggling to get food on the table.
“This CBC is a challenge for real because we are very broke. We can handle it but the Government should make some changes to make it bearable,” stated Kadenge.
Imelda Mungatana, however, praised the rollout noting that it got parents closer to their children as opposed to the 8-4-4 rollout.
She, however, was antsy about the requirements which strain household’s finances.
“It is bringing us closer to our children. For instance, I was not close to my child but so many things have come up demanding me to concentrate to them. Only that the requirements can be a challenge sometimes,” she explained.
Around 1.3 million students in Grade 6, which is CBC’s pioneer class, are expected to join Junior Secondary School in 2023.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha is confident that the rollout will be carried out seamlessly as majority of the classes have already been constructed.