Influence of teacher technical skills on the implementation of competency based curriculum in public primary schools in Kenya: a case study of rangwe sub –county

Competency based curriculum is a planned learning experiences in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes based on the objectives a system of education. Competence based curriculum emphasizes learning outcomes in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes to be applied by learners to their benefit and the society at large. It is a departure from the traditional curriculum that emphasizes achievement of the objectives of a system of education that prioritize subject content. Successful Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) implementation must be cognizant of various teacher factors that are most likely to influence it. In 2013, partner states in the East African Community agreed to put in place a harmonized curriculum framework which is competency-based and one that matches global trends. The Competence Based Curriculum was rolled out in Kenya in January 2017 and is currently being implemented in lower primary schools in phases from grade one to four. As at the end of 2018, eighty nine thousand teachers of the total 160, 000 teachers of lower primary imparting basic education in Kenya had been inducted on the Competence Based Curriculum. Teachers are the implementers of the curriculum hence they play a significant role in developing and transforming learners. Rangwe Sub County was facing low primary to secondary school transition rates. Recent statistics indicated that 52% of pupils sitting Kenya Certificate of Primary Education every year score less than 250 marks. The pupils are left disoriented and demoralized causing some to either drop out or repeat as per the 8-4-4 curriculum. With the CBC in place all learners have a chance to develop their competencies and skills for nation building. It is against this back drop that the current study sought to establish teacher factors influencing implementation of Competence Based Curriculum in Public Primary schools. The objective of the study specifically was to determine the extent to which teacher’s technical skills influence the implementation of CBC in public primary schools. The findings were that teacher technical skills accounted for 12.4% of the variation in implementation of CBC as signified by the coefficient 0.124. Teacher technical skills were found to influence the implementation of CBC more than any other factors and thus the study recommended that efforts should be made to ensure that teachers have technical skills in CBC in order to enable the pupils also to develop a liking towards the contents of CBC. The findings of this study will be significant to stakeholders in education as it will inform policy making and amendment.