Innovation and Strategic Management Practices in the Implementation of Competency-Based Curriculum in Kenya

Kenya has seen several developments in its schooling and educational system since gaining its independence in 1963. Right from independence, the Ominde Commission (Ominde 1964) sought to reform the educational System, from one that was racially stratified to a more uniform one. Then came the 7-4-2-3 System that had 7 years of primary school, 4 and 2 years of lower and upper secondary and 3 years of university. Thereafter, following another assessment and subsequent recommendations of the Mackay Report in 1982 (Mackay 1982), the 8-4-4 System was introduced in 1985. It extended the life of primary school to 8 years, 4 secondary, and 4 university years. This System has been in place until the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) succeeded. The 8-4-4 System has its final cohorts going through the final assessments of primary school. Kenya has shifted the curriculum landscape within the contemporary education system by implementing the Competency-Based Learning Curriculum (CBC). The competency-based learning curriculum is a system of instruction that focuses on both the skills, reporting assessment, and instruction intended to enhance skill capabilities. The curriculum promotes individual wholesome wellbeing and the acquisition of skills that will enhance competency both in professional and real-life application. The design, roll-out, preparation, and implementation of the CBC, just like its predecessors, have not been without challenge and criticism. There has been passionate debate on its efficacy, currency, and relevance in the development of learners in today's modern society. This paper seeks to sift the chaff. The paper will by way of study, assess the place of strategic management practices in the wholesome running of educational systems and curricula, with a critical focus on how these practices have contributed to any hits or misses in implementing the CBC curriculum in Kenya. The study data was collected from collected emanated from education stakeholders such as teachers, heads of schools, and other educators and a survey of select public and private primary schools in Kenya. The highlighted challenges; infrastructural, teacher-learner ratio, process delivery challenges, and human resource, are crucial in determining whether the implementation of the CBC has and will be successful. They will be essential in forming both statutes and regulations that will streamline the competency-based curriculum to ensure that children accessing education at the lower levels obtain skills that will be practical in the professional world and the advancement of their careers.