Thread by @chris_mungai

At my son’s school for a CBC/new curriculum meeting for parents. Usually parents meetings are 🔥 and I’m hoping this will be no different. Will be tweeting

But first, chai ya wazazi. Meetings have to start with tea and “snacks”, everyone knows that lol. Lemme go hook myself up

The room is maybe 2/3 women. This is always the case.

A teacher “opens the floor” with welcome remarks. This is just killing time on the mic but I don’t mind coz I’m all about samosas and tea right now 😁

The kids have come in to present a few numbers. I’m excited 😂

But first we have to introduce ourselves to the parent sitting next to us. I’m hapa enthusiastic but why is everyone so angry and cold? Damn 😬

I understand tho. Adulting is hard.

I’m even surprised I’m supposedly an adult. Tulifika hapa aje 🙆🏾‍♀️

Ballet dance. I’m so pleased to see one boy stunting in his lil tuxedo!!

There’s a CBC rap. I don’t know how I feel about this

“CBC, the way to go, I see it done, I put to test... mwalimu ako juu, sisi tuko juu”
My son is leading that rap btw

The kids are now building a number line and showing us how they use it. 6+2+1.
“Identify the big number on the line. Mark it and make two steps, then one more. I have landed on number 9. Therefore the answer is 9”

Now the kids have called up a parent to work out 7+1+1

“Digital skills is one of the competencies identified by the new curriculum,” the kids say. So they work out these addition problems on a computer, projected onto a screen for us

Looks like this meeting is about the kids showcasing their skills. I love it, but I suspect I won’t leave here with any greater understanding of CBC

Time for animal sounds. A child in a lion mask is growling on stage.

More animals. Cat, bird, goat... then they sing “in the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight”

Sidebar: a few weeks ago the child’s homework was to make a musical instrument at home. They have displayed some of them here. Some folks straight up bought up a kayamba 😐 ain’t no way this was made at home

We just jumped and stretched. Kids in their games kit were leading

My baby boy back on the mic.

He’s presenting a poem on losing a tooth (it’s part of the hygiene & nutrition curriculum, approx what used to be home science).
I want to TELL EVERYONE how much drama he has given me with his loose teeth OMG

I feel some typa way having “Hygiene” as a subject. Sounds racist as hell

Kiswahili presentation on the proper use of shikamoo and marahaba.
[sidebar: when are we ever going to teach Kiswahili the multiple ways we actually speak it in Kenya]

Dance presentation on a song whose name I don’t know but is familiar. “Jehovah you, I trust in you... I believe, I believe...”

Now, ODI DANCE.

Dance imeshika mashinani... ODI

Ok. Deputy principal takes the mic. Leading parents in clapping for the kids in a complicated style that incorporates the Nyayo 3 claps and blowing a kiss to the kids.

Principal says the school is on the forefront of implementing the new curriculum and what was on stage was exactly what the kids learn. Mmmkay

Head of academics takes the mic. He says many parents still haven’t understood what CBC is and he’s here to demystify it. Ok, legoooo

He says in preunit, there’s an exam that kids do to see if they are ready for Grade 1. Kenya Skills Readiness Assessment (or sth). Did y’all know about this? Wasn’t the case at my boy’s previous school.

The traditional subjects like Science, English, Social Studies, etc are now called “Activities”.
Mathematical Activities
Environmental Activities
Religious Activities
Hygiene & Nutrition Activities
English Activities
Kiswahili Activities

Basically from what I understand they are maintaining the “learning through play” that is there in kindergarten, until Grade 3. Hence learning through “activities” rather than subjects

Foreign languages is French until Grade 3, then from Grade 4 they can do German (the teacher said Germany 😑), Arabic or Mandarin. “The Chinese are here, taking over,” he says 😑😑😑

“Competencies” from what is being said is what kids are expected to demonstrate. They are making a big emphasis on Patriotism. 😑😑😑😑

The core competencies:
1. Communication & Collaboration (apparently the kids presentations today demonstrate this)
2. Self-efficacy (same)
3. Critical thinking and problem solving (the number line demonstrated this)
4. Creativity and Imagination (same on presentations today)

5. Citizenship (not sure what this means in practice, but they are saying things like taking care of the environment, participating in fundraising walks... )

6. Digital literacy. They say it’s not just computers, it’s cameras (give your child your phone camera to take a photo of something interesting they come across)
[errrm are you sure mwalimu?]
“Let them visit educational websites,” they say
7. Learning to learn

A big emphasis on parental involvement. Parents are expected to participate a lot in these activities. “If you don’t do your part don’t blame the curriculum!”

The kids will sit a national assessment in Grade 3 to begin channelling them into different “pathways” (their “strengths”). The teacher quickly says there “won’t be any APs and guns” for this exam. Hapo ndio tumefika as a country. Exams = guns 😐😐😐

The principal says this curriculum is not about right or wrong answers. It’s about helping them reason. Ask your kids, “what do you think” instead of giving them the answer

“We’re moving away from teachers being the focus, to parents being the first teachers.”
[I see how this approach can quickly entrench education inequality. It’s about parental responsibility now, and there may be a reduced expectation on the govt to PROVIDE]

“The main thing that has changed in this approach is a focus away from the structure and on the learner.”

“Some is the jobs that these kids will do do not yet exist and many traditional jobs will be gone. We must teach kids to be overcomers and to acquire 21st c. skills”

They are calling parental involvement, parental “empowerment”.

And they say that in CBC there are no longer grades. Assessment is
- Exceeds expectations
- Meets expectations
- Approaching expectations
- Towards approaching expectations

Principal says in terms of the school structure, junior secondary will be within the primary school. In other words, there will be 9 grades pre- high school. 6 in primary, 3 in junior secondary, all within the primary school compound

“If we continue with 844 as a country we will be nowhere as a country. The world is moving ahead.”

He gives an example of an exam/ assessment question in Grade 3. Kids were given a plain paper and told to fold it into eight sections and shade an eighth. “If they just knew 1/8 from a blackboard they won’t be able to do it! This curriculum is all about application.”

Ok meeting is coming to a close now. My initial assessment is that this curriculum is tailored for upper/ middle-class parents with plenty of time. This approach is not going to work well for folks who work long hours and/ or who are struggling to make ends meet.

And the language of parental responsibility/ “empowerment” means that there will likely be little redress if you are not happy. You will be told you are their teacher, the actual teacher is a “facilitator of learning”

I also see how this intersects with gender/ marriage roles. I can conceivably see mothers being expected to do much, much more. You know in Kenya (and elsewhere) the parental heavy lifting is done by mothers. There is more heavy lifting here.

This curriculum institutionalises inequality. That’s the most apparent thing.

Postscript (very random)
- I felt very out of place in my jeans, sneakers and dreads. How come y’all didn’t tell me the Waiguru lines and a skirt suit is the standard
- There was a dad who didn’t know what class his son was in 🙄