The Ministry of Education (MoE) has been urged to include Special Needs Education (SNE) facilitators in the upcoming county-based dialogue on Competency-Based Education (CBE).
Some stakeholders were shocked to learn that the facilitating teams for the forthcoming event across all 47 counties have been limited to the MoE, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), and the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
SNE stakeholders who spoke to Education News from Eldoret welcomed the initiative from the MoE, seeing it as an opportunity to assess the progress of CBE since its rollout in 2016.
However, they questioned why special needs experts were excluded from the list of facilitating teams.
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“Excluding special needs education facilitators indicates that we still have a long way to go in achieving inclusivity and attaining universal education for all,” said Hassan Lagat, a champion of SNE in the North Rift region.
He said that the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) consists of two pathways: the age-based pathway for regular learners and the stage-based pathway for learners with disabilities.
Hassan said, “From the advertisement, it seems the upcoming dialogue will focus largely on the achievements of the age-based curriculum.”
The MoE has planned a county-based dialogue on education quality and learning outcomes in CBE. The ministry aims to engage stakeholders in discussions about the CBE journey, including its progress, achievements, and opportunities.
The national launch of the dialogue is scheduled for March 7 in Machakos, while the county dialogues will take place from March 9 to March 15.
During these dialogues, stakeholders will be updated on the status of CBE, provided with a platform to participate in the validation of senior school guidelines, informed about teacher recruitment and capacity building, and given feedback on the ongoing implementation of the CBC.
By Kaptich Tarus.
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