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{
    "id": 1237923,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1237923/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 240,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mbeere North, DP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ruku GK",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "The other challenge is the limited access to technology. One of the key requirements in this curriculum in the focus of the seven fundamental competencies is digital literacy. In my constituency of Mbeere North, there is no primary school which has a laboratory with computers. This cuts across the Republic of Kenya. Many JSS in Kenya have limited access to technology making it difficult for the students to be abreast with the latest education trends and development as required by the curriculum. The other challenge is lack of parental and community involvement in implementation of this curriculum. Some of the parents are not actively involved in their children’s education which can negatively impact on their children’s academic performance and overall education outcomes. We have also realised another challenge that is over-burdening the parents. The curriculum at the moment requires a learner at Grade Seven to take 12 compulsory subjects and two optional choices summing up to 14 subjects. This is a very heavy workload that can put a huge amount of pressure on students and it may be difficult for them to keep up with the demands of their studies. This may make the students struggle to balance the academic work and other activities such as extracurricular activities or even rest, and can also lead to burnout and poor academic performance. Many subjects taught at junior secondary level may make it challenging for the teachers to provide in-depth instructions and personalised attention to each student. This can result in superficial understanding of topics limiting students’ ability to apply knowledge in real-life situation. Hon. Temporary Speaker, with these challenges, we need to have a way forward for the Junior Secondary School so that we are sure that our children at the Junior Secondary Schools are getting the desired results from this education system. For Junior Secondary education to effectively be implemented, there is a need to ensure that the following issues are entrenched in the implementation framework. One is curriculum development, which of course the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) should highly involve teachers, experts and other policymakers during the curriculum change and the process to create a positive attitude and energy among them for the smooth transition of the Grade Six pupils to Junior Secondary. This involvement process would help in ensuring that the curriculum developed is not only up to date, but also in line with the national education objectives. The other important issue is that of the teachers. The TSC should deploy, recruit and post teachers to Junior Secondary Schools. At the moment, that is a big challenge. Teachers in Junior Secondary Schools will perform duties as per the Basic Education Act. Adequate and qualified teachers should be recruited and trained to teach in Junior Secondary Schools and they should be fully prepared for the transition on how to handle the Grade Six pupils transiting to Junior Secondary Schools with regard to the CBC. This training should focus on methodology, content and assessment of the CBC considering that the primary schools’ teachers are more familiar with the CBC than the newly recruited secondary school teachers who have no clue of the CBC. The TSC should come up with a remuneration package for the primary school teachers teaching at Junior Secondary School by appreciating them with a token, even if it is a small one. This will be a stop-gap measure to manage teachers’ shortage in the initial years. This will also help to avert redundancy of primary school teachers due to the shifting of two classes to secondary schools. The learning resources is a big challenge and we need to take care of it. Learning resources such as textbooks, repository equipment and technology should be provided to enable effective delivery of the CBC in Junior Secondary School. The Ministry of Education should develop a framework to facilitate sharing and management of infrastructure among primary and secondary schools that will be established in the same compound. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}