The Ministry of Education has announced several revisions to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

Lower elementary learning areas have been decreased from 9 to 7 to eliminate duplication and overlap across the various basic education levels.

Upper elementary will have eight learning areas, down from ten, while students in Junior Secondary School (JSS) will take nine topics, down from fourteen, while continuing to study core subjects such as English, Kiswahili, Kenya Sign Language, Mathematics, and Religious Education.

PHOTO | COURTESY CBC Revised

Other topics, such as Integrated Science and Health Education, have been amalgamated and will now be referred to as Integrated Science, and Social Studies and Life Skills have been combined into a single study area known as Social Studies.

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Agriculture and Nutrition will now be used interchangeably for agriculture and several elements of home science.

Other Home Science topics, however, will be integrated into Science and other related learning areas.

Pre-Technical Studies will now include what was formerly known as Pre-Technical Studies, Computer, and Business Studies, while Physical Education, Sports, Visual and Performing Arts will now be integrated into a single study area known as Creative Arts and Sports.

JSS will no longer have an optional learning area under the new format, and the overall number of weekly classes will be lowered from 45 to 41.

PHOTO | COURTESY CBC

Six learning areas in Upper Primary remain intact, except for a modest reduction in the number of lessons each week, which has been reduced from 40 to 35. The Pastoral Instruction Programme (PPI) is included.

Agriculture and Home Science, on the other hand, have been consolidated into Agriculture and Nutrition, while the apexes of Arts and Crafts, Music, and Physical Education have been integrated into one learning area that will now be known as Creative Arts. As a result, the overall number of learning areas in Upper Primary has been reduced by two.

Learners in Grades 1–3 will now take seven rather than nine learning areas, including English, Kiswahili/KSL, Mathematics, Religious Education, Indigenous Language, Movement and creative Activities, which will now be referred to as Creative Activities, and Environmental Activities, which will include the former Environmental Activities as well as Hygiene & Nutrition.

Pre-Primary Learners' lessons will not alter.

The new structure will be implemented in January 2024.

Meanwhile, senior school learning areas are being rationalized, and a circular will be issued during the first term of 2024.