Teacher training pathways for competency based curriculum (CBC) in the university education in Kenya

Abstract

The education reform in Kenya recommended phasing out of the 8-4-4 education system to embrace the 2-6-3-3-3 competency based curriculum (CBC). The embraced curriculum has three learning pathways or pillars at senior secondary and university education. The three pathways are Talent Pillar, Languages and Social Sciences Pillar, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pillar. The Higher Education Curriculum Framework (HECF) and universities are yet to provide clear policy guidelines for training teachers and align their skill and competencies with the CBC curriculum framework. The phenomenon is compounded by the fact that, the Ministry of Education through teacher service commission without any empirical data suggested the bedrock of education training programs, the Bachelor of education arts (B. Ed, arts) and Bachelor of Education science (B.Ed. arts) programs to be eradicated in favor of Bachelor of Arts (B.A) and Sciences (B.Sc.) as the pathways to teaching profession through a Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE). The Teachers Service Commission is championing multi-tasking competences where those graduates teaching in secondary schools should be trained to teach more than the traditional two teaching subjects. The Basic Education Curriculum Framework (BECF) has categorized Junior and Senior Secondary School levels which the training of teachers in the university education program must align itself with. While students study all the compulsory subjects in junior secondary, they branch to specialize in their preferred pathways at senior secondary levels. The recruitment of students to both public and private universities for teaching career is based on high school credentials that have now to consider talent including talents in sports, creative and performing arts. The study was designed to explore the teacher training programs embracing talent for university education in order to address both the needs of Junior and senior secondary schools under the three pillars embraced in the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) in Kenya.