Ezekiel Machogu, The Education Cabinet Secretary, has called upon educators to ensure that students acquire fundamental literacy and numeracy skills by the time they complete grade three. He emphasized the critical nature of this foundational learning stage, underscoring that students who don’t grasp these skills before entering grade four often face difficulties in their educational journey.
Mr. Machogu made these remarks during a visit by officials from the Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KEPHA), led by its chairman, Mr. Johnson Nzioka. Dr. Belio Kipsang, the Principal Secretary for Basic Education, was also in attendance.
Mr. Machogu stressed the pivotal role that teachers play as stakeholders in the government’s educational reform initiatives. He emphasized that the success of the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) largely depends on the dedication of teachers, who are instrumental in instilling confidence in the CBC system.
Moreover, he highlighted the urgency of deploying teachers to classrooms in the North Eastern region to enhance education in that area and prevent radicalization. He noted that the government’s decision to eliminate the cluster requirement would help secure prospective teachers to serve schools nationwide, including the North Eastern Region and North Rift.
Additionally, Mr. Machogu mentioned that the reduction of subjects aims to alleviate the curriculum burden and is well within the authority that Parliament has granted to the Ministry.
Dr. Kipsang raised the question of whether learners should continue to have a two-month school holiday, as has been the practice since 2016. In response, Mr. Nzioka expressed support for the CBC program and welcomed the reduction in the number of subjects as recommended by parents to ease the curriculum load on learners.