There have been different forums including the youth Pre-conference on the CBC,  county and national dialogues that have given the stakeholders an opportunity to express their views on how best to implement this new system of education. As early as last week I got an opportunity to engage at the Kenyatta University on the placement of the universities in implementation of the CBC. With the celebration of International Youth Week whose theme was transforming education, different young people across the country were able to give their views and opinions on the new curriculum.

The question then becomes, what is the data that was collected from the youth in this country. What do we understand about the 8-4-4 and how ready are we to embrace the new curriculum. The truth is young people are aware that we have a problem especially with the current system of education in relation to exploring socio-economic opportunities. As summarized by dear little sisters, an organization keen to rescue young women, “The 8.4.4 system was more theoretical than practical. It prepares students to be employees rather than employers. With increased sensitization on the importance of higher education, there are many graduates every year necessitating CBC.”

The youth however raise several challenges that we feel need to be and offered recommendations for this system to be successful. First, the human capital in form of teaching staff. It is key that even as we transition into the new curriculum, there is a fair balance between the student- tutor ratio. Every child regardless of their physical location should access a trained tutor to foster their development. Regarding the trained teachers, there have been complaints by KNUT that the training offered is not adequate enough, mechanisms should be put in place to ensure training of trainers occurs to enable individual tutors confidently execute the new curriculum.

Resources have always been a challenge in the education sector. With the new system that is more engaging and hands on, the ministry and government should ensure all students in the country have access to the required materials, facilities and infrastructure. Citing one example of Makueni County, there is a shortage of 896 teachers in primary and 2252 teachers in secondary schools which will act as a stumbling block to the effective implementation of the CBC. The budget allocation to education should be increased to allow for communication, engagement and facilitation of the process.

In conclusion, the youth are in support of the implementation of the CBC. We offer the above recommendations if the system is to be successful. As we end this article, I wish to pose a challenge; we continue to speak about the failure of the 8-4-4 system, what are the interventions in place for those still engaging in the 8-4-4 system and will do so for approximately the next ten years?

Let us view the CBC as an alternative and not necessarily the solution to the different problems in this country. The truth and reality is it will be a long while before the results are observed.