Edci 311

EDCI 311 : SECONDARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM
Introduction
Definition
Historical 3 philosophical foundations of secondary schools curriculum. What brought changes
in the secondary schools curriculum
Factors affecting the secondary curriculum.
Curriculum change in Kenya 8-4-4 secondary curriculum strategies used in curriculum change
and implementations. How to apply EDCI 311 in secondary curriculum.
Definition of terms
School: Education Act 1967 defined school as ‘’an assembly or gathering of ten or more persons
for learning purposes’’
National polytechnic college (NPC)
A tertiary institution established by an act of parliament to offer mainly essential knowledge and
skills at the levels of ordinary diploma to higher national diploma (HND) e.g.
 Kenya polytechnic
 Kisumu polytechnic
 Eldoret polytechnic
 Mombasa polytechnic
Which offer courses like secretarial, plumbing, carpentry etc.
NPC originated from an act of parliament and the government funds them plus fees paid by
students
 They are managed by board of governance
 They do exams which are formed by both teachers and KNEC.
Technical training institute
They offer occasional knowledge and skills the craft level to ordinary diploma level.
Craft level- did not have secondary education.
Ordinary diploma – level well passed
Examples are:

 Rift valley technical training institute in Eldoret.
Origin- those which were secondary schools
Funding- by government plus student fees
Management- by board of management
They do the Kenya National Exams.
 Institute of technology’s e.g. Rift valley institute of science and technology
Origin- formed through common efforts or on self-help (harambee) e.g. R.V.I.S.T was formed by
those people who lived around the Rift valley hence they took the name from that place.
Management- they are managed by board of governance and board of trustee. Board of
governance takes care of government interest.
Board of trustee takes care of interest of the community
Funding – since they began as a result of community effort therefore the original funding came
from the community plus the fees from students
Exams- students do sit for the KNEC exams depending on the courses that they take
KASNEB BODY
Man’s secretarial exams board city and guild- it’s based in board and focuses on advanced
tactical courses
Who is a secondary school teacher?
That who teaches in a secondary school.
Responsibilities of a secondary school teacher
 They teach
 Guidance and counseling
 Disciplining the students
 Assisting in administrative roles e.g. games master, HOD
 Working with parents pertaining with the affairs of the student.
 Organizes co-curricular activities e.g. C.U and drama
Objectives of a secondary school teacher in Kenya.
Teachers in Kenya, we get them from the national goals of education in Kenya.

N/B In each point gives the learning experience to:
1. Acquire necessary knowledge, skills and attitude that enable the youth to grow into a
responsible citizen
2. Promote love and loyalty to the nation or society
3. Promote harmonious co-existence among all members of the society
4. Enhance understanding respect for own and other cultures and other place in
contemporary society
5. Enhance understanding and appreciation of independent of nation.
6. Develop mentally, socially, physically and spiritually.
7. Promote positive environment and health practices
8. Develop ability for enquiry, critical thinking and national judgment
9. Developed into a responsible and socially well-adjusted person.
10. Build a firm foundation for further education and training
11. Promote acceptance of respect for all persons
12. Enhance enjoyment in learning
13. Identify individual talents and develop them.
14. Build a firm foundation for technological and industrial development
15. Develop into a self-disciplined individual who appreciates work and manage time
properly
Foundations of curriculum are the values, traditions, factors and forces that determine the kind,
quality and quantity of experience that the school offers to its learners.
A. HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS
 Refer to the factors that may influence the curriculum and are derived from past
developments.
 Developments in the past continue to influence the present practice in school programs.
 Some of the past developments which have influenced the curriculum include;
o The early Christian education
o The renaissance
o The reformation
o The scientific movement
The progressive education movement
a) Early Christian Education
 The early Christians taught the liberal art and also concerned themselves with
inducting believers into church membership.

 Values in the Christian education were derived from the Greek, Roman and Hebrew
ideals.
 The school’s curriculum comprised of;
o Discipleship (discipline)
o Church doctrine

o Moral standards
o Christian theology
o Science
o Mathematics
o Astronomy
b) The Renaissance
 This is the period in the European history which experienced great cultural growth.
 The increased quest of acknowledge and quest for adventure led to an increased desire to
open up education to the masses.
 According to the historians of education, Renaissance is referred to as revival of letters.
Others see it as rebirth of knowledge.
 It is imperative to acknowledge that during the renaissance period there was a revelation
of intellect in Europe against medievalism.
 The revolute was indeed characterized by political, philosophical, ecclesiastical and
literacy development.
 The new education that was associated with this period to a radical interpretation of the
Greek philosophy.
 There was establishment of ‘humanistic schools’.
 Their curriculum emphasized the study of man and his contribution to society.
 The curriculum of humanistic schools included manners, morals, rhetoric and
composition.
 To promote both character building and physical development, curriculum also included
sports, games and dance.
 Renaissance enhanced communication between the various nations in Europe and beyond
and as a result there arose a need of people of certain vocational skills related to
international and national trade.
The height of the Renaissance saw the development of the university in response to need for a
higher Cadre of professional people with special developed faculties to cater for:
 Studies in liberal arts
 Law studies
 Medicine
 Theology
c) Reformation
 The campaign of Martin Luther, resulting in replacing the absolute authority of the
Catholic Church with that of the bible led to the publication of the biblical and other
materials in the vernaculars hence everybody read for himself.
 The humanistic curriculum was enriched with the study science, mathematics, history
and gymnastics.
 Reformation contributed to further education growth by inciting the church into
greater activity in elementary, secondary and higher education (Cubberley 1968).
d) Scientific Movement In Education

 Educators and philosophers of the sixteenth century were concerned more with
observations regarding the working of the universe. This led to the philosophy of realism.
Realism has three forms:-
a. Humanistic realism
b. Social realism
c. Sense realism
a. Humanistic realism
 It was concerned with understanding of the content and the subsequent broadening of the
curriculum.
 It advocated the flawless use of language as means of communication to pass over
scientific knowledge and discoveries.
 Language and literature were to be accorded the central role in education to promote the
effective communication of the scientific progress.
 The pressure affected by humanistic realists saw the inclusion of science subjects in the
school curriculum.
b. Social realism
 It was class conscious.
 It advocated an illicit education for the aristocracy.
 It emphasized private tuition in the homes using paid tutors.
 Social realism aimed at producing a polished gentleman of the high society.
c. Sense realism
 Emphasized the value of practical education.
 They maintained that education was achieved by training of sense perception than
memory and that the ability of man to notice and understand ideas depends on his senses.
 Also advocated the infusion of child psychology in education planning and instruction
and the use vernacular in classroom instruction during the initial stages of educating
children.
e) The progressive movement in education
 Studies and researchers by famous European scholars like Froebel, Pestalozzi,
Montessori, Comenius and Rousseau regarding the appropriate type of curriculum for
pupils and great influence of the nature and type of curriculum in the united states.
 This influence led to emergence and the development of the progressive movement in the
United States was John Dewey.
In their criticism of the tradition school system, the progressives argued that:
1. The curriculum content of the traditional system included a great deal of meaningless and
needless content.
2. The traditional methods had subject matter which was of no practical value to the child.
3. Traditional curriculum mainly emphasized academics but it did not give utilization
education.
4. The traditional curriculum was specific and not flexible. It did not cater for undivided
needs of particular learners.
The progressive education curriculum emphasized five approaches to the teaching / learning
process.
a) Teacher – pupils planning curricular activities.

b) Flexible curriculum and individualized instruction.
c) Non-formal curricular activities and physical training.
d) Learner centered methodology.
e) Study materials to be selected based on the interests and concerns of the learner.
Examples of aspects of the present curriculum drawn from past developments
i. Some subjects in the present curriculum have their origin in early education e.g.
mathematics.
ii. Education is aimed at producing an all round person i.e. one who has developed morally,
physically, mentally and spiritually as in the past.
iii. Education has been organized and institutionalized in school.
It influences the curriculum derived from the development of education in the past
They include:
1. African indigenous education
2. Early Christian education
3. The renaissance – humanistic schools, the traditional Roman grammar schools
4. The reformation
5. The scientific movement in education; humanistic realism, social realism and sense
realism
The progressive movement in education which was marked by scientific researches by
Montessori Samenius Rousses.
2.0 The philosophicalfoundation
Refers to the values and beliefs that make up the philosophy of life and education.
Philosophers concern themselves in certain things:
 Examine values in the society
 They derive meaning from facts
 They organize experiments in a manner useful to educational traction and
pupils in education system.
 They justify educational beliefs
 They develop new proposals of educational practice for translation in action

Philosophical schools that are involved are;
 Traditional schools
 Progressive schools
They were supported by philosophical positions.
 Idealism
 Realism
 Pragmatism
These philosophical positions came up with certain attributes.
They include:
They gave rise to philosophical positions in relation to theories of content in a
curriculum which include;
I. Perenialism- You teach subject for its own sake
II. Essentialism- You teach subject matter because of its use
III. Progressism- subject matter is a medium for teaching life processes and
skills
B. PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS
 This refers to the values and beliefs that make up the philosophies of life and of education and
have a permeating influence on the other foundations.
 Philosophers are concerned with;
o Examining values in society
o Deriving meanings from facts
o Organizing experiences in a manner that they can be effectively used in a school
system.
o Justifying some educational beliefs over others.
o Developing new proposals of educational practice for translation into action.
 Philosophy seeks to provide answers to basic problems and to establish conference in the
whole domain of experience.
 It is important to a curriculum in that it helps in establishing ideas that will indicate a priority
of values in selecting and organizing learning experiences in a curriculum.
 There are a number of schools of philosophical thought which have influenced input into
curriculum development.
 As a result, two broad philosophical schools relate to the issue of the subject matter in the
curriculum. These are the traditionalist schools represented by essentialism, perennialism
and progressive school.

 There are other three supporting philosophical positions which are idealisms, realism and
pragmatism.
Theories of subject matter
Subject matter;
i. Should be taught for its own sake (perennialism)
ii. Should be taught for use (essentialism)
iii. Is a medium for teaching life processes and skills (progressivism)
1) Perennialism (Subject matter should be taught for its own sake)
 Advanced by perennialists
 Subject matter should be taught for its own sake irrespective of any changes in society. This is
because it has a value which is inherent in the subject being taught as well as being intrinsic
to that subject.
Inherent – a basic or permanent part of arid that cannot be removed
Intrinsic – belonging to or part of the real nature of
 Perennialists believe that performance of curriculum despite changes in the society have
two main approaches to subject matter in the curriculum;
 Emphasizes is laid on the classical subjects. These subjects were taught not
merely for their bearing on real life.
 Emphasis is laid on the desire to make children literate and moral to enable them
earn a living as well as find a useful place in society.
Principles guiding perennialist theories
i. Human nature is homogeneous, hence education should be the same for every one since
knowledge is permanent and the environment does not change truth.
ii. Students should be taught certain subjects that will expose them to the fundamental values of
the world as well as making learners to retrain from regarding modern changes as being most
important.
iii. Man’s highest attribute is rationality. Students should learn to cultivate reason and control
their emotions. The teacher’s work in to inculcate good test, infuse ideas, instill wisdom and
implant good sense.
2) Essentialism (Subject matter should be taught for use)
 Advanced by essentialists
 Essentialists contend that there are certain essentials that each student in school ought to
know.
They (essentialists) devote their time to;
i. Re-examining curricula matters
ii. Distinguishing the essentials and non-essentials in school programmes.
iii. Re-establishing the authority of the teacher in the classroom.
There are some principles that the essentialist agree with the Perennialists.

a) Learning involves hard work. There is need for strict discipline in the process of
education.
b) The teacher’s role is to mediate between the adult world and world of the child. They
should guide the growth of the child.
c) The heart of the educational process is the assimilation of prescribed subjects matter.
d) The school should retain traditional methods of mental discipline
 Essentialists however do not believe in the Perennialists’ view that there is an intrinsic
value inherent and permanent in certain subjects making them priceless.
 They (essentialists) believe that the value of subjects depends on the use made of the
subject.
Principles guiding essentialist theories
i. Value of a subject in curriculum depends upon the use that is made of the subject.
ii. Curriculum is basically subject matter centered i.e. the child is tailored towards the
curriculum.
iii. Curriculum is purely cognitive and intellectually hence emphasize the 3Rs, art
subjects for mental discipline.
iv. Education is viewed as preparation for some future purpose.
v. The principle way of assessment is through tests.
3) Progressivism (Subject matter as a medium for teaching life processes and skills)
 Advanced by progressivists
 Progressivists believe that change is the essence of reality.
 Educators must be ready to modify methods and policies in the light of new knowledge and
changes in the environment
 They argue that it is not the subject that matters but the process of education that matters
Therefore, subject matter is only a medium by which to teach pupils the skills they need
to become independent individuals.
Principles guiding progressivists theories
i. Curriculum should be determined by the needs and interests of the child i.e. learner
centered curriculum.
ii. Education is life and not a preparation for life. Education is a continuous process in
one’s life and not as a product to be learnt.
iii. Learning should be through problem solving knowledge should be taken as a means
of managing experience and for handling the continuously changing situations man is
confronted with in life.
iv. Teachers to be more of counselors and facilitators of learning - Teachers have to
advice not to direct pupils
v. Schools to encourage co-operation rather than competition among the learners.
The philosophical school of essentialism strikes a balance between the extremes Perennialists
and progressivists in two ways
 It stresses utility of knowledge and the practical element in education so that
progressivism and essentialism advocates an element of vocational, practical as well
as academic education in curriculum.

 The two schools of thought recognize that subject matter is instrumental in a
person’s real life and that curriculum should be structured to reveal this aspect of
the content that pupils are made to undergo while in the direction and care of the
school.
Related philosophical positions:
a. Idealism
 This is clearly a traditionalist view carried over from Plato’s writings.
 The universe is conceived of as an ideal of people’s minds and endeavors in life towards
rational ends.
 It uses deductive reasoning in its quest for answers to current day problems and it believes
in truth
 Here, there is over emphasis on the intellectual aspects of life at the expense of the physical
aspects.
 Idealism stresses the role of education in the transmission of the cultural heritage.
b. Realism
 Realists believe in the existence of a real world divorced from the imaginations of
perceiver
 It argues that education should induct learners into their culture and help them to
adjust to the natural order of things in order to live in harmony.
 Teachers should act as guides and make children a ware of the true nature of the real
world.
c. Pragmatism
 The progressivists use subject matter instrumentally as a medium for teaching intellectual
process, skill, attitudes, ideas and appreciations.
 Pragmatism is the progression position that sees reality as being a ‘truth that works’.
Education according to pragmatists;
 Should enable the learner to experience situations in practice
 Is a means of recreating, controlling redirecting experience.
 Should help learners solve their problem and is to be considered an integral part of
life.
 Systematic sequencing of learning experiences is emphasized by pragmatists.
Teachers should provide an atmosphere in which learners identify problems and
seek solutions to them.
 The curriculum should be organized on the basis of the learners’ interest and the
subject matter selected should help the learner solve problems.
3. SOCIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS
 This refers to the systematic study of groups and institutions in culture and their contribution to
the process and growth of the educational system.

 The major role of school is to build curricula and establish the conditions under which
individuals can acquire values and competence and be able to translate these into a program of
action.
 This relates to the nature of society and the value held and cherished in that society.
The society influences and provides a framework within which the school system operates.
The social framework to a significant extent plays the role of influencing the expectations of
youth in life and determining impart what ideals the youth go to school with.
In approaching the task of curriculum planning and development it is useful to analyze from the
society as this will indicate:
i. The problems prevalent in society for which education should provide an answer.
ii. The kind of knowledge, skills and competence that youth in society will need to
equip them with.
Under this foundation, the curriculum planner is concerned with the following three aspects;
cultural values societal needs and learners backgrounds. These three aspects are considered at
three distinct levels;
i. Purposes of the curriculum
ii. Pressures or forces influencing the curriculum
iii. Characteristics or background of the learners for when the curriculum is being
designed for.
(i) Purposes of the curriculum
 Preservation and transmission of cultural heritage.
 Transformation of culture improvement reconstructs changing.
 Individual learners development i.e. education should help the youth to realize their potential,
determine their individual goals and attainment of these goals.
(ii) Pressures influencing the curriculum
 Pressure groups will influences the nature and direction of the curriculum
 The society uses both formal and informal influence.
o Formal complaints directed at school personnel will influence input in curriculum
development at school level.
o Informally gossip and rumor regarding content practice in education will
influence curriculum, implementation.
Pressures exerted on the school curriculum by the general public and other social forces.
 Pressure could specifically be experienced from;
o Parents / family members
o Surrounding community
o Religious organizations
o Politicians
o Media
o Peer groups
(iii) Characteristic of students experiencing the curriculum (Learners’ background)
i. Individual differences

ii. Aspirations – curriculum should help pupils make appropriate choices along their
aspirations.
iii. Effect of environment on mental development.
Role and contribution of other social institutions
i. The family
o The Child’s family background helps the curriculum developer and the teacher
helps in planning appropriate learning experiences.
o The society around the school has an effort on the processes of curriculum
planning efforts should be made to provide interaction between the community
and the school.
ii. Religious Institutions
o Are found in both primary and secondary school curriculum religious education
syllabus are developed to seek appreciation in the learner, of the role of religious
education in developing a sense of self respect and respect in life, as well as the
contribution of other peoples life.
4) PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS
 Refers to those insights gained from psychology that have a bearing on the learning process.
 Psychological knowledge assists teachers and curriculum designers to make informed
decisions regarding what content to teach, when and how to teach it and also understand the
behavior of the learner in the teaching / learning situation
 Psychologists believe that learning experience have to be introduced to the learner when
such exposure is post effective to him.
 Learning experiences should be introduced to the learner when such exposure is most
effective and beneficial to him/her issues not note when providing learning experiences.
o Capabilities level of the learners.
o Maturational level of the learners.
o Students rate of learning as well as how they learn.
 There are practitioners of a number of theoretical branches of psychology who contribute to
appropriate decision making in the curriculum.
a. Behavioural psychologists-this group has contributed through their findings and theories
regarding conditions that help in the area of emotions. Knowledge of this helps in dealing with
problems connected with a desirable classroom atmosphere.
b. Connectionist psychologists -the work of connectionists like E.L Thorndike (1931) has
established the phenomena of the relationships between environmental stimulus and that
repeated connecting or pairing of the environmental situation and the response embeds the skill
learnt in the learners mind .
c. Gestalt and organismic psychologists –These groups believe that situations which
learner experience are always organized to present a whole unit which is more permanent than
the individual elements on which it is based. They stress the understanding of the relationship
between the physical world and the world of experience. They also believe that learning takes
place more effectively when learners are given the opportunity to view a complete learning
situation from which he/she proceeds to make response choices.
d. Mental health practioners- psychoanalysts and other mental health practitioners have
helped to explain many issues regarding human behaviour especially that which is related to

stress conditions. Educational authorities are now in a better position to deal with crisis
situations that come up now and then in school setting and which have an effect on the learners’
level of concentration at the tasks provided by their learning environment.
Importance of psychological knowledge to teachers and curriculum designers
a. Sequencing of learning experiences – proper order of learning experiences to make any
meaning in the learner.
b. Organization of learning experiences – organizing so as to ensure optimal effects.
c. Methodology – methods and approaches that are likely to promote and guide learning
most effectively.
d. Formulation of appropriate goals and objectives.
e. Making decisions regarding scope of the curriculum.
Other ways in which psychology knowledge is important
 Planning of curriculum which should be according to;
a) Different age groups which correspond to different age grade levels
b) Learners interests and aspirants
 Helps in understanding when learning is most effective i.e. when learner is actively involved.
 Provide for learner participants.
 Establishment of clear objectives for any programme of study.
 Influences on learning by learners past experiences, attitudes and values.
 An effect of environment on learning, i.e. learning is most effective if learners are allowed to
work in threat – free atmosphere.
Historical events and the attendant philosophers that have affectedthe
secondaryschoolcurriculum.
The history of education in Kenya can be divided to three categories.
1. Before the arrival of European missions and the colonial movement.
After independence:
1. before arrival of European missionaries and the colonialists
Features ofAfrican traditional educationduring this period
2. The curriculum was drawn from e physical and social environment
3. It was a functional education- it equipped the youth with necessary knowledge 3
skills to enable them to effectively function

4. The education was inclusive- every member of the community was involved in
doing different roles
5. The education was practical
6. The education was life long
7. Education was based on oral traditions
8. Education addressed the totality of a person- focused on physical spiritual,
emotional, and intellectual ability of a person
9. Education was conservative and was passed on from one generation to next
10. Education offered both general and specialized training
Curriculum content concept included
Initiation rites, religion, hunting, farming, community responsibilities, tribal law, speech
behavior and respect, nature study dancing and music, language and values oral number work.
2. The time between arrivals of the Europeans to independence.
During this period both the missionaries and the colonial government provided education.
Objectives of Missionary Education
Convert Africans to Christianity
To enable Africans read the bible
Produce African catechist
To westernize the Africa
To teach hygiene
To rehabilitate freed slaves
MISSIONARIES Contribution to African education
They built schools
They taught a significant population the 3Rs (Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic)
They translated the bible into local languages
They built the teachers training colleges
Enabled further studies of some indigenous people in the USA and Europe

The role of the colonial government in the development of education in the development of
education in Kenya
They thought on how to bring everybody under colonial rule
1908-1908 the colonial government began to engage in the education of African due to:
1. They saw Africans as a potential source of better and more efferent labour force
2. They needed an enlighten labour force who could take in instructions in English
and as house servants and afrm workers
3. The colonial government was finding it expensive to maintain Asian labour
4. They needed to enlighten a class of Africans to effect the doctrine of indirect rule
Colonial Participation in Promoting Education
1. They appointed special boards/ committees on African education and this
included
Fraser 1909
Education commission for East Africa protective 1919
Phelps- stokes report of 1924
Beecher report of 1949
binns report of 1952
2. They started secular schools- in places where missionaries had not
ventured
Examples;
Native industrial Training Depot in Kabete
Joan school in Kabete
Kabianga
Kapsabet
Kajiado
Kapenguria
Tambach

The colonial government emphasized technical education while the missionaries emphasized on
religious education
A) FRASER REPORT OF 1909
The commission was headed by Professor Nelson Fraser who was the educational advisor to the
governments of British East Africa in 1908
Recommendations
1. Different education systems for Europeans, Indians and Africans
2. Technical education for the Africans had talents which could be harnessed
through
3. Establishment of department education under director
4. Use of African labour as opposed to Asian labour.
5. Limited teaching of English to selected groups
6. Emphasis of religious education
7. Teaching was to be linked to the daily life and experience of learners
THE OUTCOME OF RECCOMENDATION
1. There was the setting up of the department of education
2. Introduction of industrial training
3. Education was provided on racial basis
4. The government introduced payment of grants to schools that excelled in technical and
industrial subject
5. Kiswahili became the medium of instruction throughout African schools
6. All headmen and chiefs were order to take their sons to school to learn the 3Rs and a little
carpentry
7. The colonial government set up schools in Machakos.
B) EDUCATIN COMMISSION OF EAST AFRICA PROTECTORATE 1919
It was constituted due to disagreements between missionaries and colonial government because
they disagreed on types of education to provide to Africans
Recommendation
1. Education to be still provided on racial basis
2. An end to the establishment of secular schools
3. Grants in aid are given to schools to enhance efficiency
4. Provision of technical education to Africans to continue moral and
religious education to Africans

5. Missionaries to continue providing education to the Africans
6. Moral and religious education to the Africans to continue
Outcome of the education commission
1. Missionaries became the sole provider of education to the Africans
2. Religious and moral education gained ground in the curriculum
3. The missionaries controlled training institutions
4. The government adopted a system of grants in aid and abolished
payment by results
C) PHELPS-STOKES REPORT OF 1924
It was necessitated by some funds that were availed by Lady Carolyne Phelps Stoke and the fund
was supposed to support the education Negroes in America.
Recommendation
a. African education to be provided by the missionaries
b. Grants in aid to be provided to the missionaries
c. Standardization of African education
d. Training in agriculture and industrial education
e. The adaptation to local needs
f. Higher education for Africans
g. Use of English as a medium of instruction in schools
h. Co-operation between Africans and missionaries in the provision of education
i. Religious values to be introduced in schools
j. More financial support for African education
k. Need for girl education character training, rural improvement and secondary schools
l. African education must concern whatever was sound in African life and transmit the best
that civilization and Christianity has tom offer
Outcomes / developments of the report
-There was establishment of Jeans school in Kabete in 1925 and this school was managed by
trained African teachers and their wives
-The government began to supervise and direct education at all levels with assistant of 3 advisory
committee
-There was beginning of African representation and opinion in education matters
-There was setting up of district boards to assist in the management of schools

In 1925 colonial office white paper emphasized:
 Greater government involvement in African education
 Agent need to educate the African for his environment
 Education for rural development
Some of the critics of education by Africans
 The felt that the Christian teachings were against African cultural practices
 They felt that African education was not practical and hence could not be utilized
immediately
 They also felt that African education led to hard manual labour
 They argued that the education made them second class citizens
 The education provided limited long term rewards
To address these critics a number of missionary societies started establishing formal secondary
schools but on a limited basis
Some of the schools started include:
 Alliance
 Mangu
 Maseno
 St Mary’s Yala
The objective of secondary education by then:
a. Improve the general material and moral life
b. Provide leadership training
c. Provide skills necessary for serving urban communities either as clergy, mechanics,
teachers etc.
The curriculum for these schools included:
 Strong Christian education content
 Sound academic coverage in English, arithmetic, science, agriculture and arts
D) BEECHER REPORT OF 1949 (AFRICAN EDUCATION COMMISSION
REPORT OF 1949)
It was constituted because there was need to address the concern that were being raised by
African concerning education that was being provided to them

Recommendation
 It recommended 4-4-4 structure of education:
4- Primary
4- Intermediate
4-secondary
 The government should closely supervise education provisions
 Expansions of teachers training to move religions
 Recommended practical education for Africans
The structure of education that was recommended was to present each stage/ segment of
education and very few Africans were allowed to proceed
E) BINNS REPORTOF 1952
The main task of this commission was to address the problem of low quality of teaching
prevailing in schools then.
Recommendation
a. Learners centered learning
b. Greater centralized control of education in terms of supervision, inspection and well co-
ordinated training
c. Central role of religion was accepted in education
d. Language policy for education as follows
 Preserve selected tribal vernacular
 Elimination of Kiswahili. Kiswahili impaired the learning of vernacular and English
e. The Africanization of teachers training institutions
o Hiring of more African instructors
o Re-organizing the curriculum so as to reflect the realities of the African environment
o Linking of education planning to the overall national development

POST INDEPENDENCE PERIOD (1963 AND ON)
1964- OMINDE COMMISSION
It was referred to as the first Kenya education commission
Appointed immediately after independence
Recommendation
 A unified and integrated system of education with uniform fee structure for all the races
 English should be used as a medium of instruction in all schools
 Inclusion of African cultural values in the curriculum
 Total curriculum reform which provide a well ground education of the individuals
 Recommended a new philosophy of education in Kenya
 Increase in secondary school intake
 Secondary school training to include practical training
The outcome of Ominde commission
 Came up with the goals of education in Kenya
They include:
1. Foster nationalism, patriotism and promote national unity
 Kenya's people belong to different communities, races and religions, but these differences
need not divide them. They must be able to live and interact as Kenyans. It is a
paramount duty of education to help the youth acquire this sense of nationhood by
removing conflicts and by promoting positive attitudes of mutual respect, which enable
them to live together in harmony, and foster patriotism in order to make a positive
contribution to the life of the nation.
 This is possible through access to education for all its citizens and the use of the two
official languages Kiswahili and English both in and out of school, among other ways.
2. Promote social, economical, technological and industrial needs for national development
 Education should prepare the youth of the country to play an effective and productive
role in the life of the nation. The link between education and the world of work, the
economy and national development is indivisible.
a) Social Needs
 Education in Kenya must prepare children for the changes in attitudes and relationships,
which are necessary for the smooth progress of a rapidly developing economy.

 There is bound to be a silent social revolution following in the wake of rapid
modernization. Education should assist our youth to adapt to this change.
b) Economic Needs
 Education in Kenya should produce citizens with skills, knowledge, expertise and
personal qualities that are required to support a growing economy.
 Kenya is building up a modem and independent economy, which is need of adequate
domestic manpower.
c) Technological and Industrial Needs
 Education in Kenya should provide the learners with the necessary skills and attitudes for
industrial development. Kenya recognizes the rapid industrial and technological changes
taking place, especially in the developed world.
 We can only be part of this development if our education system deliberately focused on
knowledge, skills and attitudes that will prepare the youth for these changing global
trends.
3. Promote individual development and self- fulfillment
 Education should provide opportunities for the fullest development of individual talents
and personality. It should assist children to develop their potential, interests and abilities.
 A vital aspect of individual development is character building.
4. Promote sound moral and religious values
 Education should provide for the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes that will
enhance acquisition of sound moral values and help children to grow up into self-
disciplined, self-reliant and integrated citizens.
 Education and training shall inculcate moral and spiritual values, as well as, the valuing
of cultural differences within the unity of Kenya.
 It shall instill the importance of integrity, honesty, respect for others and hard work.
Further, it shall develop inter-personal skills and use the curriculum to instill these
values.
5. Promote social equality and responsibility
 Education is closely linked to culture. An educated person is not only one who has
sufficient knowledge and skills, but one who knows how to interact with others
courteously and harmoniously.
 Education and training shall therefore embrace equity issues and equal opportunity for all
- Education should promote social equality and foster a sense of social responsibility
within an education system which provides equal educational opportunities for all.
 It should give all children varied and challenging opportunities for collective and
corporate social services irrespective of gender, ability or geographical environment -

 It is the duty of education and training to ensure that there is equal service delivery of
good quality education to nomadic, orphans and vulnerable groups especially girls
throughout Kenya.
6. Promote respect for and development of Kenya's rich and varied cultures
 Kenya‘s diversity in culture and ethnic heritage is best demonstrated by her wealth of 42
indigenous tribes.
 It is through education and training that integration of Kenya‘s tribes can be enriched.
Education should instill in the youth of Kenya an understanding of past and present
cultures and their valid place in contemporary society.
 The children should be able to blend the best of traditional values with the changed
requirements that follow rapid development in order to build a stable and modem society
 Education has to encourage non-formal curricula activities such as music, dance, games,
and debating among our schools across counties. In this way, schools will be transformed
into channels of cultural integration.
7. Promote international consciousness and foster positive attitudes towards other nations
 Kenya is part of the international community. It is a part of the complicated and
interdependent network of peoples and nations. Education should therefore lead the youth
of the country to accept membership in this international community with all the
obligations, responsibilities, rights and benefits that this membership entails.
 Information Communication Technology (ICT) has globalized education and made it
easier for people to learn from one another.
8. Promote positive attitudes towards good health and environmental protection
 Education should inculcate in the youth the value of good health in order to avoid
indulging in activities that will lead to physical or mental ill health.
 It should foster positive attitudes towards environmental development and conservation.
It should lead the youth to appreciate the need for a healthy environment.
 Education and training should for instance enlighten learners to the benefits of good
health by including in the curriculum knowledge of how to prevent and combat Malaria,
HIV AND AIDS and other diseases.
 Abolishing racial segregation in schools
 Ominde made structural changes in the education system. He introduced 7-4-2-3 structure
of education in Kenya
7: primary
4: junior secondary school
2: higher secondary school

3: basic university education
 The government task over the management of schools from missionaries
 Establishment of curriculum Dult Research Center (DRC)
 There was massive expansion in education at all levels
 Establishment of teachers services commission (TSC)
 Establishment of KTTC Kenya Technical Teachers College KSTC, Kenya polytechnic,
Mombasa polytechnic and a number of primary teachers training colleges.
Critics / shortcomings of Ominde report
 Neglected industrial and technical education
 Increased in the number of unemployed youth prepared for white color jobs
which were not available
 Low quality of education due to massive expansion of schools
1971-KENYACURRICULUM MISSION
Headed by Gordones Bessey
This KCM was later referred to as study of curriculum development in Kenya and
is the one that preceeded the restructuring of the Kenya institute of education
(KIE).
There was international labor organization(ILO)
1976-GACHATHICOMMITTEEREPORT(NATIONAL COMMITTEEON
EDUCATIONOBJECTIVES AND POLICIES)
Gachathi Commission Recommendations
Some of the key recommendations of the Gachathi Commission Report of 1976 were the
proposed nine-year basic education for all children in Kenya, stronger practical orientation in the
secondary school curriculum and establishment of the Kenya National Examinations Council.
The Gachathi Commission report called for the integration of all Harambee secondary schools
into the public school system, make Kiswahili a compulsory subject in primary schools, proposal
to establish the Commission for Higher Education and offer external degree programmes at the
University of Nairobi

Outcome ; the government started supporting harambee schools.
1982-MACKAYREPORT
Presidential working party on the establishment of the second university in Kenya.
Achievements of Mackayreport
i. Establishment of Moi university which was supposedto offer science,
technology and development courses
ii. Introduction of the 8-4-4 system of education which offered a diversified
curriculum with emphasis on three vocation and technical skills
iii. Recommended the establishment of the commission for higher education
1988-KAMUNGE REPORT
Known as presidential working party on education and man power training for the
next decadeand beyond
It led to the policy of costsharing between the government and the communities in
the provision of education
Kamunge Commission Recommendations
The team recommended in-service courses for school inspectors, who would also be required to
upgrade their academic and professional qualifications.
It recommended payment of full boarding and feeding fees for students in public schools,
training institutes and universities.
The team proposed the scrapping of personal allowances given by the Government to students in
colleges and universities, establishment of more day secondary schools to expand access and
recruitment of qualiﬁed personnel for pre – schools.The team proposed compulsory primary
education and called for the abolishing of categorization of schools as high and low cost.
Secondary schools developed and equipped by the Government and with teachers paid from
public funds were to be designated as public schools.

University education was to be expanded to produce more professionally qualiﬁed graduates for
secondary school education. Untrained primary teachers were to get in service training.
The Kamunge Commission wanted Bachelor of Education programmes in universities to take
five years, growth in university standard enrolment be matched with the educational resources
and the development of public universities be coordinated and harmonized. It also proposed
admission of day university students and the creation of the Kenya Education Staff Institute.
Kamunge Commission Report Implementation
The Kamunge Commission Report was acted on almost to the letter by the Government, altering
the financing of education and relieving the Government part of the burden of ﬁnancing
education.
A major impact of the implementation of the Kamunge Commission report was the rise in the
cost of education for parents and guardians, resulting in high dropout rates and persistent
repetition of classes.
2000-KOECHREPORT
Known as the commissionof enquiry in the education system in Kenya; totally
integrated, quality education and training triqet.
Reasonswhy the government came up with Koech report of 2000
The 8-4-4 system was experiencing negativity
There was emerging challenges e.g. issue of HIV/AIDS
Recommendations
i. Review of the secondary schoolcurriculum to remove inappropriate content
ii. Students to be allowed to specialize in areas of their choice
iii. Integration of HIV/AIDS in the curriculum at all levels
iv. Introduction of social education and ethics together with religious education
with a view of behavior change among youth
v. Introduction of guidance and counseling in teacher training

N/B the recommendation of the Koech report was made government policy
through sessional paper number One of 2005. The paper is known as a policy
frame work for education
QUIZ: identify and explain three influences of eachof the following
documents on the current 8-4-5 secondaryschoolcurriculum in Kenya.
1. Sessional paper number one of 2005
2. New constitution which was promulgated in 2010
3. The Kenya vision 2030 document
4. The millennium development goals
The 8-4-4 system of education
The major elements of 8-4-4 system of education include;
i. New structure
ii. Greater orientation of curriculum towards technical and practical education
iii. The removal of undue emphasis on examination centered education .
iv. A diversified curriculum which was offering a large range of subjects
The essential elements of the 8-4-4 system of education are;
i. Structure – it comprises of 8 years in primary, 4 years in secondary and 4 years of university
education.
The 8-4-4 system of education was expected to ensure effective participation of the youth in
development.
ii. Content – there was a greater oriented towards technical and practical education. This was
expected to ensure that the school leavers at all levels have some scientific and practical
skills that can be utilized for either way employment, self employment or for further
training. Primary school leaver who are unable to proceed to secondary school can enter
craft training centres and proceed to higher technical training institutes.
iii. Less-emphasis on examinations – the system lays a lot of emphasis a continuous assessment
as an integral aspect of evaluation. Pupils abilities and achievements was to be determined
by both continuous assessment as well as final examinations.
iv. Diversified curriculum – the system laid emphasis on a diversified curriculum that was to
offer a wide range of subjects.
a) The Primary Education
It was aimed at providing children with adequate intellectual and practical skills useful for
living in both the urban and rural areas.
It was to expose children to a high quality and relevant curriculum which will enhance
competence in a variety of development tasks and benefit the majority of them for whom
primary education is terminal.
The subjects in primary school currently include:

- Kiswahili
- English
- Mathematics
Mother Tongue (Class 1 – 3 in rural area)
Social studies (G.H.C and Environmental Studies, Civic Education and aspects of business
education).
Science (Home science, agriculture and Science include technology and religious education,
environmental education).
Physical education
The secondary school curriculum was to build upon primary education curriculum. It was
supposed to expose students to more knowledge and higher skills. The curriculum is broad
based.
The aim of university education was the same as those of other levels but in addition the
university.
- Has to develop and transmit knowledge through research and training.
- Preserve knowledge and stimulate intellectual life.
- Produce high level man power in science and technology.
- The curriculum at university was to offer a variety of courses.
Challenges experiencedin the 8-4-4
Limited funds
Inadequate personnel and facilities
Resistance to change
Problem experienced in the implementation of 8-4-4.
i. Over crowded curriculum i.e. too many subjects with less time and it h as led to superficial
coverage of content.
ii. Large number of untrained teachers. The teachers teach theoretically and not practically.
iii. Inadequate number of trained teachers to teach technical and vocational subjects.
iv. Inadequate equipment facilities and materials and especially in sciences.
v. Inefficient supervision due to shortage of inspectors and problems of transportation.
vi. Boarding schools become too expensive leading to children dropping out.
vii. Over enrolment of students particularly at university level.
Critics of the 8-4-4 systemof education
1. Teachers were not in service
2. The system was not pilot tested
3. The stakeholders were never involved in decision making e.g.
teachers, parents etc.

4. The termination at secondaryeducation resulted in so many school
leavers in the job market were jobs were few
5. The system was expensive and strained to both parents and learners
6. Acceptability to external university was on condition that candidates
take are free university course which was expensive and time
consuming
7. Inadequate facilities and finance
Achievements/ Strengths of 8-4-4 system
1. Has led to development of the jua kali sector
2. There has been increase in the number of graduates
3. Technical courses were offered at the secondary and university
4. The establishment of a medical schooland a teaching referral
hospital at Eldoret

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