CBC stands for Competency Based Curriculum.This is the new education system in Kenya that is currently set to replace the 8-4-4 education system.
The system was introduced in 2017. The CBC was researched and developed by KICD (Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development). This new curriculum is here to stay as it had been gradually introduced and is steadily replacing 8-4-4 education cycle. At this point in time, 8 (of the 8-4-4 cycle) consisting of 8 years of primary education is being dismantled into a 6 year term. As such all and one need to get acquainted with this new system.
The Kenya education system started out with 7-4-2-3 system, a formal education system introduced by the British Colonial rule in 1963. The education cycle comprised of :
- 7 years in primary school
- 4 years in lower secondary school
- 2 years in upper secondary school
- 3 years(minimum) in university education
- 8 years in primary school
- 4 years in secondary school
- 4 years(minimum) in university education
- 2 years in pre-primary education
- 6 years in primary education
- 3 years in junior secondary education
- 3 years in senior secondary education
- 3 years(minimum) in university education
The Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) consist of 2-6-3-3-3 education cycle. Every learner shall transition through a minimum of 17 levels, every level as period of 1 year. The KICD has grouped them into 4 general categories:
- Early Year Education (Pre-Primary & Lower Primary)
- Middle School (Upper Primary & Lower Secondary)
- Senior School (Upper Secondary)
- Tertiary Education (TVET or University)
This level bestows mastery of basic skills upon the learners. This group consist of 2 sub-categories:
- Pre-Primary
- Lower Primary
Pre-Primary
Lower Primary
After Pre-Primary, the learner enters the Grade level. This consist of:
- Grade 1
- Grade 2
- Grade 3
A learner at this level is said to be in Middle School, this consist of:
- Upper Primary
- Lower Secondary
Consist of 3
- Grade 4
- Grade 5
- Grade 6
When learners has 3 levels, consisting of:
- Grade 7
- Grade 8
- Grade 9
Senior School
At this stage, learners now start to specialize based on their career choices. Time taken here, will enable them to see where they fit in their career.
Careers are generally categorized into:
- Arts & Sports Sciences
- Social Sciences
- STEM
- Grade 10
- Grade 11
- Grade 12
University education
If they choose tertiary education and training, they will undergo a minimum of 3 years. Some careers of cause require longer time frames