Unapproved books are bad books, no matter how fancy their titles. We can’t teach our children using books not vetted by Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD). Unapproved CBC books by any other fancy names are just as bad—terrible. They cause irreparable damage to our kids. KICD must not relent in its war against encyclopedias and other materials being peddled by unscrupulous publishers. People trafficking unapproved CBC materials must be apprehended.
The Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in Kenya is a significant step towards transforming the country’s education system. It focuses on equipping learners with the skills, values, and knowledge necessary to navigate the complexities of the modern world. However, like any major reform, CBC has encountered various challenges. One pressing issue is the proliferation of unapproved materials by some unscrupulous publishers and distributors, bypassing marketed to schools and parents. These materials, sometimes presented as supplementary guides, encyclopedias, or revision texts, pose a serious threat to the integrity of the curriculum and the learners’ education experience.
Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), the regulatory body responsible for approving educational content, is critical in ensuring that only high-quality, curriculum-aligned materials are used in schools. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous publishers and distributors who bypass KICD’s approval process and flood the market with substandard and often misleading resources. These individuals exploit many parents and educators’ unfamiliarity with CBC, pushing unapproved materials as essential learning aids. In reality, they undermine the purpose and vision of the curriculum.
The problem with these unapproved books and encyclopedias is that they lack approval and often present outdated, incorrect, or irrelevant content. In some cases, these materials misalign with the values and principles of CBC, promoting rote learning and examination-focused strategies rather than the critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills the curriculum seeks to cultivate in learners. Parents eager to support their children’s education unknowingly purchase these materials, believing they enhance their children’s learning. In doing so, they inadvertently reinforce practices that CBC actively tries to avoid.
KICD’s approval process is rigorous and designed to ensure that learning materials meet the highest educational standards. Publishers seeking approval must submit their content to be reviewed by experts in various fields who check for accuracy, relevance, and alignment with the curriculum’s goals. Only after a thorough review and, if necessary, revisions are materials approved for use in Kenyan schools. The presence of unapproved materials sidesteps this critical process, flooding classrooms and homes with resources that are not only unregulated but potentially harmful to learners’ academic development.
Moreover, the trafficking of these unapproved materials often leads to confusion among teachers, learners, and parents. Teachers trained to implement CBC are forced to contend with conflicting information from these rogue resources, making it difficult for them to deliver lessons as per the curriculum guidelines. On the other hand, learners may struggle to understand concepts when presented with either too advanced or too simplistic content, ultimately impeding their progress. Parents are caught in the middle, frustrated by the perceived complexity of CBC and misled by publishers who capitalize on these frustrations to push their products.
The issue of unapproved materials also highlights a deeper ethical concern: the exploitation of the public’s desire to support their children’s education. Unscrupulous publishers and distributors are not motivated by the educational well-being of learners but by profit. This is not only a betrayal of the trust parents place in them but also a violation of the principles that CBC is built on – equity, integrity, and quality education for all.
KICD must, therefore, continue to take a firm stand against these unapproved materials. The body’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of the curriculum must not waver in the face of these challenges. Ensuring that only approved materials are used in schools is not merely a bureaucratic process but a necessary step in safeguarding the future of the learners. KICD must ramp up its public awareness campaigns to inform parents, educators, and the general public about the dangers of using unapproved materials. It is essential for the public to understand that if KICD has not approved a resource, it has no place in a learner’s education, no matter how fancy or appealing it may appear.
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Furthermore, the government must increase enforcement efforts to apprehend and hold accountable those trafficking unapproved CBC materials. This could include stricter penalties for those found distributing unapproved content, increased surveillance of the market, and collaboration with law enforcement agencies to crack down on illegal distribution channels. Only by treating this issue with the seriousness it deserves can the education sector be protected from exploitation by rogue publishers.
However, responsibility does not lie solely with KICD and the government. Schools and teachers must also take proactive steps to ensure they only use approved materials in their classrooms. Teachers, as the custodians of learning, must remain vigilant and refuse to adopt unapproved books, even when faced with pressure from parents or peers. School administrators should conduct regular audits of their learning materials and communicate openly with parents about the importance of using KICD-approved resources.
Parents, too, have an essential role to play. They must become more discerning consumers of educational materials. Before purchasing any book, parents should verify whether KICD has approved it. Schools and the Ministry of Education should make it easier for parents to access lists of approved materials, either through online platforms or school communications. Parents should also engage with teachers and school administrators to better understand how CBC works and how they can best support their children’s learning at home using approved resources.
Ultimately, the success of CBC depends on the collective efforts of all stakeholders in the education sector. Everyone – from government agencies to teachers, school administrators, and parents – has a role in ensuring learners receive the highest quality education. The unchecked spread of unapproved materials threatens this vision and undermines the progress made in implementing CBC.
In conclusion, unapproved CBC materials, regardless of how they are presented, are detrimental to the learners and the curriculum’s objectives. KICD must not relent in its fight to protect the integrity of the education system. The trafficking of unapproved educational content is not a victimless crime—it harms learners and distorts the progress that CBC is meant to achieve. All stakeholders must work together to apprehend those involved in distributing these materials and ensure that learners are given the best possible resources for their academic growth.
Kamomonti teaches English and Literature in Gatundu North Sub County.
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