A Critique of Competency Based Curriculum: Towards Integration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Kenya

Abstract

The indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) discourse has incited an epic proportion debate all over the world for several years. In Africa, especially in the sub-Saharan region and particularly in Kenya, the so-called indigenous communities have always found value in their own local forms of knowledge even, though, curriculum developers, post and pre-colonial administration viewed IKS as anti-development, ungodly, unscientific, and/or illogical. The importance and status of IKS have changed in the wake of global knowledge yet, little has been done, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and mainly in Kenya, to guarantee the maximum exploitation of IKS for the common good of all persons. The Kenyan new competency based curriculum (CBC) and most curricula in sub-Saharan Africa are aimed at promoting education for sustainable development as an alternative approach to school. To address some of the knowledge deficiencies that are currently formulated from the western perspective, this study focused on the integration of existing IKS within the country into the CBC in Kenyan schools. The objectives of this study were to explore the role of indigenous knowledge systems, provide critical analysis of the CBC to assess the extent to which indigenous knowledge systems have been integrated into teaching/learning in the Kenyan formal school system, and propose a working paradigm of introducing indigenous knowledge systems in teaching/learning in our schools. The study adopted the holism theory to achieve these objectives. Critical analysis and constructivist models were used to assess the role, integration, and suitable paradigm for the integration of IKS in teaching/learning in Kenyan schools through the CBC. The solutions to problems that currently plague the African continent and that concern the Kenyans must proceed from their understanding of local values such as the role of IKS in education towards promoting sustainable development in the country. This can be achieved by integrating IKS into the Kenyan formal education curriculum to address some of the deficiencies in knowledge for development that is currently formulated using the western perspective. This study challenged the dominance of western knowledge in Kenya’s school curriculum that makes education disembodied from context. Findings indicated that the CBC recommended the teaching of Indigenous Language Activities (ILA) which is a sub-set of IKS and thus full integration of IKS into the curriculum was missing in the Kenyan educational curricula. A total focus of the curriculum in terms of IKS is recommended by this study to de-racialize African educational systems, provide a basis of problem-solving and innovative thinking strategies, generate and motivate learners' interest and self-consciousness, promotion of interaction and development of different cultural dimensions, and promote interpersonal relationships in Kenya. It is further recommended that the exploration of the indigenous knowledge systems should be part of the curriculum design process and IKS should be integrated into the school and University curricula for a clear understanding of concepts and for long-term retention of what is learned in class. Further research should be done in order to assess the perception of teachers on IKS and find ways in which IKS can blend with modern technology to solve current problems.