Education stakeholders have called for a realignment of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) to better reflect local economic opportunities in Siaya County, urging communities to shift focus from white-collar employment to livelihoods rooted in the region’s resources.
Speaking at the Twak consultative forum in Bondo, Prof. Charles Ochieng’ Ong’ondo, Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), said education should empower local transformation rather than prepare learners solely for urban office jobs.
“We must start turning education collaboratively, and the competencies we have, into livelihoods for our community,” Prof. Ong’ondo said. “Education is not intended to give you a white-collar job in some big office in a big town, but something that should change your life back in the village.”
Prof. Ong’ondo also challenged local leaders to ensure children remain in school, warning that engaging minors in economic activities along Lake Victoria or in local gold mines violates constitutional provisions on free and compulsory basic education.
Andiwo Obondo, Executive Chair of the Anditi Obondo Foundation and Country Lead for EDD in Kenya, said the CBC should be tailored to leverage Siaya’s natural resources. He cited fishing, agriculture, metalwork, woodwork, arts, and sports as practical pathways for youth to create local opportunities.
“We need to look at how we prepare our learners through education to take advantage of the lake as a big resource,” Obondo said. “We must invest in preparing learners for the fishing economy and agriculture to ensure Siaya and Bondo are food secure.”
On preparations for the senior school rollout, Nyakongo Girls Secondary School Principal Irene Oneko assured parents that teachers are ready. She said the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has conducted training and continues capacity-building with support from the Ministry of Education and KICD.
“Senior schools are ready because the Teachers Service Commission has trained teachers and continues capacity building,” Oneko said.
The forum brought together education officials, community leaders, and school management boards to discuss strategies for making CBC delivery more responsive to local economic realities in Siaya County.
