🧩 CBC Rollout Faces Systemic Hurdles

1. Ambitious Goals vs. Operational Reality

Launched in 2017, the Competency-Based Curriculum aims to produce critical thinkers and problem‑solvers through hands-on, learner‑centered education. However, a recent audit concluded the rollout is “bedeviled by multiple challenges,” particularly in public schools lacking adequate resources.

2.Severe Teacher Shortages

• The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) reports a shortfall of nearly 98,261 teachers, including gaps in junior and soon-to-open senior secondary schools  .

• Although around 20,000 interns were recruited and 39,550 contract teachers converted to permanent roles, public schools still face overcrowded classrooms, with many teachers covering multiple subjects  .

3. Training Backlog and Specialist Gaps

• Only 150,000 teachers have undergone CBC training since 2019, and virtually no secondary school teachers have been trained in the new curriculum  

• Subject-specific educators (STEM, languages, creative arts) are in short supply, undermining CBC’s hands-on learning model  .

4. Infrastructure and Resource Deficits

• Many schools lack basic facilities needed for CBC, including science labs, electricity, ICT tools, libraries, and classrooms ().

• Budget cuts in the 2025 national budget have further reduced funding for school infrastructure and curriculum support, straining already thin resources  .

5. Local Voices Express Concern

On Reddit, educators and parents paint a mixed picture:

“CBC is hands-on… What we need there is funding and more teachers.” 

“JSS is an absolute crime scene right now, with some schools having one teacher teaching a whole class all subjects!” 

Critics warn that without sufficient support, CBC risks deepening educational inequities.

6. Mismatched Budget and Policy Priorities

• TSC notes current funding allows recruitment of only ~6,000 teachers per year, far below demand  .

• New schools are opening—sometimes adjacent to each other—without allocated funds for staffing, fueling inefficiencies ().

🔍 Summary & Strategic Imperatives

Challenge	Impact on CBC	Strategic Priority
Teacher shortage	Undermines learner-centered, subject-specific delivery	Fast-track hiring; scale internships; permanent postings
Training gaps	Educators struggle to implement CBC pedagogy	Invest in continuous professional development
Resource deficits	Limits practical, hands-on learning	Expand infrastructure, labs, ICT, classrooms
Budget cuts	Erodes support for CBC programs	Reverse cuts; ring-fence CBC funding

 

✅ Conclusion

Kenya’s CBC holds promise as a forward‑looking education model, but its system-wide rollout is threatened by underfunding, teacher shortages, and infrastructure gaps. For CBC to be transformative—not just aspirational—Kenya must make urgent investments in:

1. Recruiting and training thousands more qualified teachers, especially in STEM and junior secondary schools.

2. Strengthening infrastructure, from labs to electricity and digital tools.

3. Securing dedicated budget lines for CBC expansion and maintenance.

Without decisive action, the CBC risks becoming another policy that widens the gap between privileged urban schools and underserved rural communities.