Teacher Associations Dropped from KICD Board in Proposed Law Changes

Teacher associations will no longer have representation on the governing council of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) if Parliament approves proposed amendments to the law.

The changes contained in the KICD (Amendment) Bill, 2025 also brings the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) and the proposed Kenya Teachers Training College (KTTC) into the curriculum agency's leadership.

The proposed legislation seeks to reconstitute the KICD's governing council to reflect its revised mandate, which will be limited to basic education following the transfer of responsibility for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) curricula.

"The KICD's mandate over Technical and Vocational Institutions has been removed and restricted to basic education institutions," Mr Abdi told the National Assembly Committee on Education during a consultative meeting.

The proposed law in effect removes representatives of the Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association (KEPSHA) and the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) from the council and replaces them with representatives of KISE and the proposed KTTC.

KEPSHA has cautioned against the move, maintaining having representatives of teacher associations in the council is very paramount.

“KEPSHA and KESSHA are the main consumers of the KICD learning materials and text books, hence the associations’ feedback is critical in terms of check and balances for the State agency,” he said in an interview.

The Ministry of Education which is the sponsor of the Bill reckons the inclusion of KISE and KTTC reflects the growing importance of teacher preparation and inclusive education in curriculum development.

Under the Bill, the council will comprise a chairperson appointed by the President, representatives of the Principal Secretaries responsible for Basic Education and the National Treasury, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Kenya National Education Assessment Council (KNEAC).

The MoE in a separate proposed legislation is dissolving the exam-centric Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) and replacing it with the KNEAC which aligns with the competency based curriculum.

The KICD governing council will also have representation from public universities, two private sector representatives, the chief executive officers of KISE and KTTC or their representatives, and the KICD Chief Executive Officer, who will serve as secretary to the council.

The proposed amendments also replace the title "Director" with "Chief Executive Officer" throughout the Act to align with current public service governance structures.

The Bill further abolishes KICD's Academic Committee, with the Ministry arguing that its functions overlap with those of the governing council.

"The Academic Committee has been deleted because it duplicates the role of the Council. The Council will retain the power to establish committees and panels to support the performance of its functions whenever necessary," Dr Abdi said.

The changes form part of a broader review of education laws aimed at aligning institutions with the recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms and the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum.

news@businessdayafrica.org