Schools struggle to implement CBE over teacher shortage, poor infrastructure

Education stakeholders follows proceedings during Kakamega county dialogue on education quality and learning outcomes at Kakamega High School on March 11, 2025.  [File, Standard]

School principals from Malava Constituency, Kakamega County, have expressed reservations over the implementation of Competence-Based Education (CBE) due to teacher shortage, inadequate learning materials and poor infrastructure.

The head teachers were speaking during a consultation meeting organised by Malava MP David Ndakwa at the National Government- Constituency Development Fund(NG-CDF) office to deliberate on the status of schools and their challenges.

"We are struggling to implement CBE, but we have many hurdles along the way. We are facing a shortage of tutors to teach technical lessons, a shortage of labs to carry out technical classes and facilities to carry out the curriculum," said one of the principals.

"As principals, we are finding it difficult to implement this system, and if the government wants to succeed, let it come in on time and sort out some of these challenges for a smooth implementation of CBE," he added.

The teachers also cited lack of sporting facilities for the arts and sports sciences pathway, and lack of computers in some schools.

"Most senior secondary schools have small fields for sports and some do not have at all and yet some of the primary schools have large or huge playing compound which is going to waste and this is where the government through the Ministry of Education, our Members of Parliament and teachers should come in to deliberate on how to handle and solve such matters for smooth implementation of CBE," said a head teacher.

"We are also experiencing a shortage of computers or completely lacking, and yet some technical schools have many computers which are under utilised when they can be converted and shared by senior secondary schools for students to use during computer lessons," she added.

However, the head teachers urged the government to have a working formula with vocational institutions at the county and national level for the use of sports facilities, laboratories,  computers and tutors teaching technical subjects.

"Let our government, and we want our MP to help us by acting as a link that we have a working formula with these TVETs that have these facilities and personnel to come in and offer this assistance when we are in need, as the government plans to address the issue and equip schools with the required materials," said a teacher.

Shamberere National Polytechnic Principal Elisha Nyamu allowed head teachers to utilise the computers, sporting facilities and tutors in implementing CBE.

"We have one of the largest labs in East Africa as a Polytechnic, and it is open for use by our secondary schools to implement CBE. We are open for our principals to use our many labs that the government donated to the institute, besides the tutors we have, and it is just a matter of arranging the working modality so that our children can get the required skills and knowledge," said Nyamu.

"We are ready to help our principals because the government has come up with a good education system to equip our children with technical skills and the required knowledge in our ever-changing world," he added.

Malava MP Ndakwa promised to engage the Teachers Service Commission to hire more teachers and the ministry to address challenges of infrastructure, learning materials and the welfare of teachers and students.

"I have noted the concerns raised by teachers with seriousness, and I am going to engage TSC and Ministry of Education to ensure we have more teachers, enough computers, sporting facilities and address the issue of limited land either by using the NG-CDF money and other sourced funds so that we can successfully implement the CBE programme because it is one of the best education curricula we have for our children," said Ndakwa.

"I am also going to improve on the welfare of teachers by supporting them financially, the psychosocial aspect to improve their wellbeing in ensuring we have good results, and the same will be done to our students," he added.

Ndakwa, however, urged principals to ensure projects initiated by NG-CDF and government are well executed and contractors meet required standards.