The curriculum developer has appealed to Head teachers, School Principals and Teachers to
critically analyze books they recommend for learners.
Some books are way beyond the learners’ scope and thus a burden to learners in some classes,
according to the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).
“Books especially the general readers’ books must be carefully chosen. They are not for any level
of learning. They are age appropriate, “KICD Director, Dr Julius Jwan said in Nairobi.
He revealed that he had received inquiries from some parents and the general public who sought
guidance on some of the storybooks that had been recommended for standard six pupils in one of
the primary schools.
“We established that one of the story books was not approved by KICD and was not appropriate
for this class. Teachers might have endorsed it by mistake, for learners,” Dr Jwan said.
He said effective curriculum delivery is the substance of quality learning and appropriate
curriculum support materials must be used.
Dr Jwan appealed to teachers not to be obsessed with national examinations saying education
goes beyond the tests that are mainly used to determine if a learner should move to the next class
at the end of the year.
It is for this reason that the new competence based curriculum (CBC) doesn’t emphasize on one
off national examinations as a way of determine a learner’s academic prowess.
Instead the new curriculum recognizes that no child is a failure. “The CBC focuses on
assessment for learning as opposed to assessment of learning as it is the case now. No learner
should be condemned on the basis of a one off examination,” Dr Jwan said.
It is about what learners can do based on the knowledge they have acquired and not just what
they can remember to pass exams.
“It will no longer be about categorizing students as failures and those who have succeeded,” Dr
Jwan explained.
ENDS..
