'CBC was introduced to kill public schools,' Sossion says

Nominated MP and former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion says the rollout of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) has been to the disadvantage of public schools.

According to Mr. Sossion, who was speaking Thursday on Citizen TV’s Day Break show, replacing the 8-4-4 curriculum with the new education system was rushed and state-owned schools are struggling to keep up.

This, he says, has opened an opportunity for investors eyeing the education sector to reap big through private schools since the rollout began in 2017.

“CBC, the way it was introduced in this country, was to destroy the existence of public schools because they will never implement it. We did not prepare and it was just imposed,” Mr. Sossion said.

“The public schools will die and it will open a window for privatisation. Whoever imposed it on this country was very deliberate to kill public schools.”

This is even as Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha says his ministry will start inspecting private schools across the country to ensure they have adequate facilities for junior secondary schools.

The first batch of Grade 7 learners will start joining Junior Secondary schools under the CBC program in January next year. Some 2.5 million students will be transitioning.

Mr. Sossion, however, faulted the ministry for what he termed as failure to provide quality public school education as is the right of every Kenyan.

“Prof. Magoha is now telling private schools to open up space to accommodate junior secondary schools… it is unconstitutional because education should be provided by the State,” he said.

Sossion, who is seeking the Bomet senatorial seat on a UDA ticket, joins a section of political leaders and education stakeholders who have been calling on the government to set aside implementation of the CBC.

They argue that the system lacks proper basic structures.

Following recent clashes between CS Magoha and the political formations against the system, President Uhuru Kenyatta, during the Madaraka Day Celebrations on June 1, outrightly held that there would be no looking back in regard to the CBC rollout.

The president said that even after his term expires in August, the government had already put-up structures in place to ensure the rollout would not be stalled.