Public Primary School Teacher Preparedness on CBC Adoption in Township Ward, Garissa County, Kenya

Abstract

Globally, education systems underwent a transition from traditional, examination-centred approaches to learner-centred, competency-based models designed to equip learners with twenty-first-century skills. In Kenya, the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), launched in 2017, sought to reorient basic education toward holistic and skills-based learning. However, disparities in its implementation became evident, particularly in marginalized regions of the country. This study assessed public primary teacher preparedness for CBC adoption in Township Ward, Garissa County and focused on pedagogical competence, in-service training coverage, and access to curriculum support resources. The study was guided by Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Theory, the Resource-Based View (RBV), and Systems Theory. It applied a desktop review methodology to synthesize data from peer-reviewed literature, government publications, and county-level reports. The findings revealed that public primary teachers in Garissa Township Ward faced significant challenges, including insufficient CBC-focused training, limited access to instructional materials, and inadequate infrastructure conditions that impede effective implementation of learner-centred teaching strategies. In response, the study proposed an integrated implementation framework grounded in Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, Epstein’s Model of Overlapping Spheres, and the Stakeholder Theory. The study contributed to the existing body of knowledge by generating localized evidence and proposing a practical, theory-driven model to support CBC implementation in underserved regions. Based on the integrated implementation framework, the study recommended institutionalizing school-based and modular teacher professional development programs, aligning teacher training with pedagogical practice, establishing CBC-specific financing models, investing in learning infrastructure in marginalized areas, creating decentralized Curriculum Support Centers (CSCs), and implementing multi-stakeholder policy review mechanisms.