15 Things That Should Be Added to the Kenyan School Curriculum

A lot of things have been said about the state of the Kenyan education system. The 8-4-4 system has been criticized for not being up to the task of producing students who are ready to take on the challenges of the 21st century. Here are some subjects I feel should be added to the Kenyan school curriculum right from primary education.

1. First Aid and Disaster Response

It is incredibly worrying that a lot of Kenyans don’t know what to do in emergency situations. Accident victims have suffered injuries they did not otherwise have because the first respondents did not handle them with care. Knowledge of first aid from primary school level would eliminate some of these issues. The training should go further than just first aid and include disaster response. Every Kenyan should know how to respond during a fire, an earthquake, a terror attack and any other disaster that could befall them.

2. Community Work

This subject would have students going to their communities and neighbourhoods and finding out what issues they face and then thinking about solutions for these issues and looking for ways to implement them. This will instill a sense of power in students to solve problems in the society and realize that the change they seek for the society is actually in them.

3. Research and Innovation

Our learning is centered on regurgitating what you’ve crammed and those who question ideas or concepts in the classroom are brushed off with, “That is not coming in the exam”, as though we learn for exams sake. This attitude towards learning as a means to an end rather than as an opportunity to add to the pool of existing knowledge with new ideas is what leads to the half-baked graduates employers are constantly complaining about.

Our education system needs to shift focus to coming up with solutions for our existing problems by thinking of new ways to approach problems. Students should be taught research skills and encouraged to think beyond the known as they are capable of finding solutions to society’s problems.

4. Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking is incredibly important in understanding the logical connections between ideas and being able to construct arguments as well as objectively reflect on our own beliefs and values. The lack of critical thinking is unfortunately evident in a lot of the decisions Kenyans make. Critical thinking skills are taught in our universities, but honestly I think this should be taught from primary school.

5. Tax

The iTax system and tax in general is confusing to Kenyans. A lot of us don’t know what our obligations are as far as tax goes. Tax should be a unit taught from primary school.

6. Entrepreneurship

The truth is that there aren’t enough jobs for everyone, so churning our job seekers rather than job creators is not going to work. Entrepreneurship skills such as writing a business plan, branding and communication, budgeting and marketing among others should be part of the curriculum.

7. Kenyan Languages and Culture

The ignorance when it comes to our culture and languages is appalling. There are over fourty tribes in Kenya and most Kenyans can only speak their mother tongues, Kiswahili and English. There is very little interest in learning a mother tongue other than your own. Even where parents are of different tribes, you’ll find the child only knows one language. I am of the opinion that there should be teaching of mother tongues in our school. I am against the use of mother tongue as the language of instruction in schools. I think that Kenyan languages should be divided according to regions and then students asked to pick a language from any region other than the one they come from. The language classes should come with a lesson on history and culture. It’s a great way to remove ignorance and foster understanding of other cultures.

8. Sustainable living

The world is facing calamities such as global warming, prolonged drought, deforestation, and poaching and food insecurity. It is important for every citizen to understand the consequences of our actions on our planet and live our lives with that in mind. Recycling, not littering, planting trees, anti-poaching efforts and other actions that reduce the destruction on the planet should be taught.

9. World religions

We have the options of CRE (Christian Religious Education) and IRE (Islamic Religious Education) in our education system. It is well and good but there definitely needs to be a broader look at religious education that will foster understanding. This unit would include the major religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism as well as other religions like Baha’i and Sikhism. The religions should be covered in an objective manner in a bid to teach religious tolerance.

10. Art and art appreciation

Art and art appreciation has been presented as something only relevant to artistes or the wealthy who buy art. This is unfortunate and untrue. There is a need for the ordinary person to understand the power of art and how to appreciate it. This especially looked at from the angle of preserving traditions, fostering our own storytelling and supporting our artistes as well as celebrating the artistes of past generations.

11. The Constitution

We passed a new constitution and we are still confused about elements of it. There was some civil education carried out to teach Kenyans about the constitution but there’s still a lot of work to be done. This education should begin in primary school and should include citizen duties such as the importance of voting.

12. Leadership

Kenya has a serious leadership issue. We elect leaders based on things like tribe and wealth as opposed to actual leadership qualities. We also seem to have a skewed definition of leadership not only in politics but also in places of work. Leadership is seen as being bossy and using position to get ahead at the expense of those they are supposed to be leading. This unit would consist of qualities of a leader and responsibilities of leadership.

13. Technology and emerging trends

The world is increasingly technology driven. There is no way to escape it. Countries and businesses must embrace it. That being said, the traditional computer studies is no longer enough. Students need to be equipped with more relevant knowledge past Microsoft office such as the concepts of digital media, big data and cyber security.

14. Sports, fitness and healthy living

The rate at which lifestyle diseases are affecting the present generation is worrying. Health is incredibly important and should be part of the curriculum. Our schools and work places encourage a sedentary lifestyle with all the seating involved. This needs to change with an education on the benefits of healthy living.

15. Etiquette

How many stories have we heard of graduates who can’t compose an official email or be presentable at an official function? This clearly needs to be taught along with dining etiquette and things like driving etiquette and personal presentation.