THE PHILOSOPHICAL AND SOCIAL FOUNDATIONS OF COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION AND CURRICULUM AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON THE PRACTICE OF CBC, CBE AND CBET EDUCATIONAL THEORY AND PRACTICE IN KENYA

Abstrakt

The transition from the 8-4-4 education system to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in Kenya represents one of the most significant educational reforms in East Africa. The reform is anchored on Competency-Based Education (CBE) and Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET), emphasizing practical skills, learner-centered pedagogy, creativity, critical thinking, and values-based education. This paper critically examines the philosophical and social foundations underpinning CBC, CBE, and CBET in Kenya and analyzes their implications for educational theory and practice. The study adopts a qualitative desk-review methodology drawing from empirical studies, policy documents, philosophical analyses, and comparative educational literature. The paper establishes that pragmatism, progressivism, constructivism, humanism, and social reconstructionism form the core philosophical foundations of CBC in Kenya. Socially, globalization, technological advancement, unemployment, industrialization, and demands for 21st-century skills significantly influenced the curriculum reforms. The paper further reveals that although CBC has transformed pedagogical approaches toward learner-centered instruction and authentic assessment, implementation challenges persist, including inadequate teacher preparedness, infrastructural deficiencies, inequity, and insufficient learning resources. The study concludes that the successful implementation of CBC, CBE, and CBET requires stronger policy alignment, teacher retooling, infrastructure development, and contextualization of competency-based learning within Kenyan socio-cultural realities.