BBC Pidgin of Wednesday, 12 October 2022

Source: BBC

Kenya curriculum make pipo para as children behead live chickens for school

Kenyan pupils dey now spend less time sit for class, and more on practical subjects Kenyan pupils dey now spend less time sit for class, and more on practical subjects

One viral video for social media wey show two primary school children dey slaughter chicken for Kenya don cause some pipo to para plus make odas laff about di kontri new curriculum, wey dey focus more on practical. During di lesson wey bin dey teach 11 year olds how to kill and cook chicken, one boy for di vi video hold di fowl for ground as anoda wit shaking hand put di knife on di neck. Some classmates dey watch di teacher, wey dey feem di whole tin for im fone, im congratulate di boy wey cut off di head and den tell di one wey dey hold di body to to put am for container of boiling water. But as di pikin dey put am for pot, di headless chicken begin run. Di 19-second video end as di teacher dey laff and di headless chicken still dey run as children dey scream and run afta am. Wen you cut head of chicken comot e fit run around for several minutes as small oxygen still dey im spinal cord. Dis na sometin wey dis grade-six class no go quick forget. Di video make many para for social media as many bin dey worry about di children and dem hardly raise say di chicken suffer,unto say for Kenya villages to slaughter chiken na common tin. Since dem start primary school, dem don get guinea pigs for one new curriculum, and dem don experience different kains of practical projects since di last few years - from making scarecrows to selling tins for markets. Supporters of di Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) dey see dem more as pioneers, say dis na improvement on di old theory- and exam-based system as e go prepare dem beta for life and help dem find work for di 21st Century. Dem also argue say as continuous assessment de, e go reduce cheating in exams, wey be big problem for goment. About 1.25 million grade-six pupils go soon write exams as part of di Kenya Leaving School Certificate wey go determine dia entrance to secondary school. For di first time, exam go only contribute 40% to dia final marks as dia assessment scores since grade one go make up di rest. 'Feasting at parents' expense' But some parents no happy about di money wey di new curriculum dye cost dem as schools expect dem to contribute material and money for items - like chickens wey dem need for practical. One home science teacher for Kangundo Primary School for east Kenya say some times di tin dey force di ones from poor homes bto jut tanda one side dey watch odas do dia practical. "My grade-five pupils, for example, bin dey sew handkerchief for dia project and some no fit afford to buy di cloth, so we end up using di few wey some of di children buy," Jemimah Gitari tell BBC. She feel say some colleagues dey take advantage too – dem dey ask children to bring meat, but say dis bin no dey compulsory for di stew project. "My school dey for village where some families no fit afford one squar meal sake of rising cost of food so I no fit ask dem for meat," she tok. Following di chicken practical – wey di grade-six pupils nationwide do for September – dem share foto for social media wey bin show teachers dey chop di chicken for staffroomphotos were shared on social media which appeared to show teachers eating chicken in a staffroom. One MP from western Kenya, Didmus Barasa, accuse dem of feasting on food wey parents wey no fit afford am, pay for. "Now hen no dey farms again," im say for tok wey provoke di teachers union. Di hot chicken debate even reach di ears of Kenya newly elected President William Ruto, wey don since set up one 49-member task force to evaluate di new curriculum, wey be pet project of im predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta. E get until di end of di year to make recommendations about weda CBC programme go still continue for grade-six students wey dey enta dia first year of secondary school, wey go begin for January. "Di books and curriculum designs dey ready but we dey hold on to get advice before we go fir distribute dem," Prof Charles Ong'ondo, wey be head of Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, tell BBC. Some parents no mind di practical side of di curriculum, but dem say e lack balance as book work dey suffer. "My daughter, wey dey grade four, dey do 12 subjects and each of dem get project. Dem spend most of dia time last term dey do projects and so dem no cover most of di classwork," Rozina Kisilu, mother of two wey dey live for di capital, Nairobi, tell BBC. Focus on practical dey make am harder for teachers to finish di syllabus in time, Gitari add - pointing todi two-week interruption to last term because of di general election. In fact di last two academic years bin dey unusual, wit four instead of three terms - to make up for time lost during di Covid pandemic. Odas argue say e go only take time for teachers to manage di new curriculum well. Dem also recently criticise di curriculum wen several videos trend wey show pupils for villages lie down for ground dey pretend say dem dey swin as dem no get swimming pool. But Nairobi teacher Marion Muthoni say di physical activity project give teachers two options: pupils fit swim or skip using rope depending on wetin dey available to dem. "Some of my colleagues just dey exaggerate tins. Di tins wey I don see for social media dey quite different from di guidelines wey we get. Wit time, teachers go realise say no be everytin need to be practical," Muthoni tell BBC. Indeed di recommendation of di Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) after two-year pilot be say make dm no introduce di CBC should across board until dem properly train teacher. Some educationists recommend make dem allow di test or pilot run for one complete education cycle before dem fully introduce am so dem go fit do adjustments. Sophia Mbevi, director of one private school for Nairobi agree, saying while CBC get di best intentions, dem too hurry to implement am. Her school dey offer alternative curriculum - which under Kenya law dey allowed for private institutions as long as di education department approve am. Some parents wey fit afford am dey prefer to go to private schools wit established curriculums, like di one wey Mbevi dey head, as dem no want dia children future to be experiment. "E get many implications to fixing education system. Dem need to do a lot to develop resources and train teachers before full rollout," Mbevi tell BBC. "I just hope we go stop playing politics wit education and do di right tins to ensure good quality education for di children. Di fate of di CBC dey for di hands of di task force now, wey get six months in total to give im full report. Mbevi suggest say one solution go be to invest in community learning centres wia "learners go fit get assistance to complete dia projects, especially for families wia parents demsef be school drop-outs". And to further reduce di load on parents and address di social difference, Muthoni say make goment provide some of di materials wey dem need for projects. As to weda make dem include live chickens, she suggest make schools rear dia own.