Curriculum experts are pondering the best way to save learners from repeating classes when schools reopen in January.
There are always early morning and evening classes, Saturday classes, and holiday tuition – but nobody likes that idea.
The unique circumstances will require unique solutions for schools to catch up for the time lost during the shutdown eight months ago due to Covid-19.
Curriculum experts at the KICD will advise the Education ministry on how to reorganize the school calendar.
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development is mandated to determine when and how the syllabus should be taught.
Earlier suggestions to reduce some teachable content, especially in primary school, have been rejected, as each is a stepping stone..
New curriculum director Charles Ongondo said reducing some content viewed as less important or useful is not an option because all content in the syllabus is critical in education.
Eliminating some content will derail learning as content perceived as easy is important as it builds up to the next stage of education, Ongondo said, likening the content in lower grades to small pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
“Should that piece viewed as small go missing, the puzzle/game is not complete, thus interfering with the whole purpose,” he told the Star.
However, linking similar topics and teaching them in different classes has been considered viable. This means that upon schools reopening, learners could combine some of the topics in two classes as they fight to catch up.
Ordinarily, all classes should reopen for a new academic year spanning 38 weeks in January. With 52 weeks in a year, and the school calendar running for 38 weeks, institutions will only have 14 extra weeks to make up for lost time.
By January, schools will have lost 23 weeks of teaching and learning, equal to second term and third terms. However, the work will be heavier for teachers trying to meet the workload equal to two terms – with only the time normally allocated to a single term.
For secondary schools, the suggestion is to have students take 13 subjects, allowed to be narrowed down to at least eight subjects at the beginning of Form 2.
Currently, most schools require learners to scale down on subjects at the end of Form 2. Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chair Indimuli Kahi said failing to allow early choosing of subjects will overburden teachers and learners who will be required to take all the subjects in secondary schools.
Kahi, who also is the Machakos Boys School principal, suggests curriculum developers allow a review so students can drop some subjects earlier in Form 2. Such a move has gained favor with the curriculum developer in the rush against time.