East African Journal of Education Studies

Competency-based curriculum (CBC) was introduced in primary schools in Kenya in 2016. It was rolled out in secondary schools in January 2023. Its success depended on early preparations in terms of training of teachers, among other requirements. A convergent mixed methods research design was employed


INTRODUCTION
The world has witnessed various social, economic, political, and technological developments. This has led to a shift in skills required to execute various activities to be in tandem with the changes (Khanna & Mehrotra, 2019). More emphasis is placed on how human skills are applied on a day-to-day basis rather than how much inapplicable content one has acquired in schools. Consequently, most countries in the world are shifting to an education system that promotes the acquisition of skills rather than content (Khanna & Mehrotra, 2019). This education system is popularly known as the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC). According to UNESCO (2015), CBC is a means through which a country can endow its citizens with skills, knowledge and values that will make them suitable in the fast-changing world of technology. This observation was confirmed by IBE-UNESCO (2017), which noted that CBC empowers learners to execute virtually and measurably, using the skills developed through learner-centred instruction.
The CBC system of education started being implemented in the United States of America in the 1970s (Fein, 2015). The initial implementation of the system in the USA was faced with a few challenges of preparation, but with time it picked off. Its suitability to produce skilled rather than knowledge-based manpower attracted the attention of other countries in the world (Goodrum et al., 2012). They had varied levels of preparedness, but with subsequent improvements, they implemented the system with reasonable success (Goodrum et al., 2012). This observation formed one of the bases upon which the current study was carried out to assess the preparedness of public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-County in implementing CBC.
African countries inherited colonial education from former colonial masters. Most of the education was knowledge-based. Emphasis was placed on how much knowledge one could memorise rather than how one could use the skills gained to execute an activity. With changes in societal demands and technological changes, most African countries re-aligned their education systems from time to time (Ramoupi & Ndille, 2017). Some started realising that skill development rather than knowledge acquisition was quite significant and therefore started embracing CBC (Nsengimana, Mugabo, Ozawa & Nkundabakura, 2021). They started implementing CBC to create inventions, innovational skills and competencies that would support both the public and private sectors (Nsengimana et al., 2021). Among the countries that began CBC earlier than those that are starting now in Africa included: South Africa, Rwanda, Zambia and Tanzania (Nsengimana et al., 2021). According to Nsengimana et al. (2021), preparations for this system of education vary from country to country and have varied challenges.
In Ghana, initial preparations geared towards implementing CBC were confronted with inadequate funding of institutions, lack of infrastructure development and lack of policy guidelines in the institutions (Acquah, Frimpong & Kwame, 2017). According to Mugabo, Ozawa and Nkundabakura (2021) and Ndayambaje (2018), initial readiness towards implementing CBC in Rwanda was challenged by inadequate teaching-learning resources and a lack of infrastructural capacity of schools. In Tanzania, where CBC was implemented in early 2003, initial preparedness was hampered by a lack of inservice training of teachers, teachers' lack of proper understanding of CBC, lack of sufficient instructional materials, overcrowded classrooms and lack of adequate materials for teachinglearning (Makunja, 2016;Hipolite, 2019;Muneja, 2015;Komba & Mwandanji, 2015).
In Kenya, CBC was introduced in primary schools in 2016 and is expected to be rolled out in secondary schools in January 2023 (Amutabi, 2021). The aim will be to solve the problems of unskilled school leavers with a knowledge-based curriculum to a practical-based curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2019). The Kenya Vision 2030 emphasises the connection between quality education and the labour market, the need to create invention, innovational skills and competencies that will support both public and private sectors (Ministry of Education, 2019).
However, there have been murmurs by various stakeholders that the system is perceived to have not been thoroughly planned and implemented (Sifuna & Obonyo, 2019). Various aspects of perceived unpreparedness have been cited in some parts of the country. Such unpreparedness includes but is not limited to; minimal training of teachers on the curriculum content and teaching methods, inadequacy of instructional materials, lack of participation by parents and other relevant stakeholders in the curriculum reform process and inadequacy of infrastructure and equipment. Availability of instructional materials and equipment for practical learning areas such as Music and digital literacy in various locations in the country is unclear (Ondimu, 2018;Momanyi & Rop, 2019;Wambua & Waweru, 2019;Sitenei, 2020;Marion, 2020). These impediments have been established to be possible hurdles that may test the implementation of CBC in other parts of Kenya. Nyamira County, and specifically Nyamira South Sub-county, just like other parts of the country, was implementing CBC in secondary schools as of 2023. It is on this foundation that this study was undertaken to explore the preparedness of public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-county to implement the CBC system of education.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Teachers are important components in the implementation of CBC in Kenya. Various studies have been carried out on their readiness for this system of education. Through a case study design, Mugaboet al. (2021) established that CBC was not uniformly implemented in Rwanda as a result of disparities in teachers' professional development and inadequate training on CBC. Based on the findings of this study, the current research explored the extent to which teachers are prepared to implement CBC in various public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-county. Makunja (2016) established that the implementation of CBC was impaired by inadequate in-service training of teachers on CBC. The current study replicated this study in Nyamira South Subcounty. Kafyulilo, Rugambuka and Ikupa (2013) revealed that competency-based teaching approaches are not well implemented in schools in Tanzania. The current study was carried out in public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-county and not in a teacher training college. Komba and Mwandanji (2015) established that most teachers lacked adequate knowledge of CBC. The current study focused on the readiness of teachers in public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-county to implement CBC. Momanyi and Rop (2019) stated that teachers lacked adequate knowledge and skills on how to implement CBC. The current study did not explore challenges faced by teachers when implementing CBC but their readiness to implement CBC in various public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-county. Sifuna and Obonyo (2019) indicated that teachers underwent minimal training in terms of curriculum content and teaching methods. The current study assumed that there were no challenges hindering the effective implementation of CBC in various public secondary schools in Nyamira South Subcounty and focused on teachers' preparedness to implement CBC. Chunga (2020) indicated that the preparation of teachers was wanting. The current study was not concerned with issues related to the implementation of CBC but with how prepared teachers were in various public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-county to implement CBC. In their study, Ndihokubwayo, Mugabo, Byusa and Habiyaremye (2019) established that some of the strategies included; role-playing, learning at the circle, and interactive trainers. The study also found that some of the training strategies, such as lectures, group work and one-to-one training have shown little interest in trainees. The current study focused on the preparedness of teachers in various public secondary schools in Nyamira South Subcounty to implement CBC. Andiema (2020) indicated that the majority of special needs teachers were not adequately prepared to undertake evaluation and assessment of children with special needs in line with the new curriculum. The present study was not interested in evaluating teacher competencies for the evaluation of CBC among special needs learners but in the preparedness of teachers to implement CBC in various public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-county. Mwabora, Nyamu and Miheo O'Connor (2019) found that primary school teachers were not prepared to implement the CBC in early childhood education and lower primary education. Teachers experienced challenges such as limited in-service training. The current study was not done in primary schools which had already implemented CBC but was carried out in various public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-county, where CBC was expected to be implemented in January 2023. Nkya (2021) revealed that teachers had positive perceptions of the shift from content-based to CBC; most of them had not attended any inservice training. This study did not focus on insights, challenges and prospects of CBC implementation but on teachers' preparedness to implement CBC in various public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-county. Jebii (2020) stated that teachers were not adequately trained for CBC. This study explored if teachers had the requisite skills and knowledge meant to implement CBC in public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-county. Isaboke, Mweru and Wambiri (2021) showed that the majority of the teachers had not received any training on CBC. The current study sought to establish the degree of preparedness of teachers in public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-county to implement CBC. From these studies and findings, it was clear that more studies needed to be carried out in other sub-counties in Kenya to facilitate the generalisation of findings. This study hinged on this for it to be carried out in Nyamira South Subcounty.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The study adopted a mixed methods research design. Specifically, a convergent parallel mixed methods design was used. According to Creswell and Plano-Clark (2014), this design uses both quantitative and qualitative techniques equally and concurrently during data collection and analysis. The target population in this study was 2,577 respondents, composed of; 2523 teachers, 50 principals, 1 Curriculum Support Officer (CSO), 1 Sub County Quality Assurance and Standards Officer (SCQASO), 1 Sub-county director (Teachers Service Comision), and 1 subcounty director (Ministry). They were targeted because they had crucial information on the research topic. Data was collected through a questionnaire, interview guide, observation checklist and document analysis guide from a sample of 483 respondents. Purposive sampling was used to sample the Curriculum S support officer, Sub County Quality Assurance and Standards Officer, Sub-county director (TSC) and sub-county director. Krejcie and Morgan's (1970) sample determination table was used to obtain principals and teachers who responded to the research tools. The questionnaire composed of questions was used to solicit quantitative data. An interview guide composed of open-ended questions was used to solicit data resulting from a dialogue. A schedule composed of learning materials and equipment was used to gather data on the presence or absence of the same. Document analysis schedule provided data on aspects related to invitation letters or messages for training and communication from the government. Quantitative data was entered into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and analysed. Qualitative data was organised and categorised using NVivo software to develop narrations.

Questionnaire Return Rate
The questionnaire return rate is the number of respondents who actually responded to the survey as a percentage of the whole sample (Fein, 2015).
Questionnaires were administered to 483 respondents who were sampled for the study. From the questionnaires distributed, the number that was returned was 474. This statistic is shown in Table 1. The return rate of the respondents was 97.6%. This return rate was considered adequate for the study. This is based on Berg's (2004) finding that a response rate of 60% and above is adequate to permit data analysis and reduce potentially biased estimates. This high response rate was attained because the researcher personally administered the questionnaires and therefore moderated the process.

Preparedness of Teachers for Implementing CBC System
Various respondents provided responses to a questionnaire on the issue of the preparedness of teachers in Nyamira South Sub-county to implement CBC. The respondents included; CSO, SCQASO, SCD (MoE), SCD (TM), principals and teachers. Table 2 shows responses from CSO, SCQASO, SCD (MoE) and SCD (TM). You see, it will be expecting too much from a system that is a few years old. To claim that most teachers have been trained in the system will be over-rating the newly born child, CBC. More specialised training is required in each of the strands of CBC.
From these quantitative and qualitative responses, the CSO was of the opinion that teachers had not been adequately prepared to implement CBC in public secondary schools in Nyamira South Subcounty. For effective implementation of CBC, teachers should be regularly in-serviced.
Similar questions were put across to the SCQASO. He was required to appraise the preparedness of teachers to implement CBC in public secondary schools in Nyamira South Subcounty. This study went further to seek the views of the sub-county director (MoE) on how she evaluated teachers' preparedness to implement CBC in public secondary schools in Nyamira South Subcounty. According to the responses reflected in A similar study carried out by Kafyulilo, Rugambuka and Ikupa (2013) in Tanzania found that teachers were not well prepared to implement CBC. This made them observe that competencybased teaching approaches are not well implemented in schools in Tanzania due to inadequate training. Such consistency in findings between the current study and that of Kafyulilo, Rugambuka and Ikupa (2013) is a clear testimony that the implementation of CBC is marred by inadequate training of teachers.
For the purpose of getting more divergent views on the preparedness of teachers to implement CBC, this study sought the views of the subcounty director in charge of teacher management. The Sub-County director perceived that the training the teachers had received on how to handle visual and creative arts was quite inadequate, how to handle integrated social studies, how to use ICT in CBC implementation inadequate and how to handle integrated science and health science and how to teach pre-technical and pre-career education as slightly adequate. This perception agrees with the findings by Sitenei (2020), who established that the majority of teachers attended one-week training, while a few attended two weeks of training. This indicated that the majority of the teachers had not received adequate training on the new curriculum. This finding is consistent with the words of the subcounty director (teacher management), who noted that;

Most teachers had not been trained for the programme and were not ready. The number of teachers trained is insignificant given that all teachers will be expected to implement the new curriculum. Therefore, training only a few will not go a long way toward achieving the intended purpose in the implementation of CBC in the sub-county.
This study further sought the views of principals on how they gauged the preparedness of teachers to implement CBC. Before this was done, they were asked to state if they had sent their teachers for CBC training. 88% (n=35) of the principals revealed that they had sent their teachers for CBC training, while 12% (n=5) had not. This means most principals had sent their teachers for CBC training. Having taken them for training, this study sought principals' views on how they gauged their teachers in terms of how prepared they were to handle various aspects of CBC implementation. The first aspect this study sought to know was the preparedness of teachers to handle integrated health science.
Another aspect that was researched was principals' views on their teachers' preparedness to handle integrated sciences and health science in CBC implementation. From the responses shown in Table 3, 15% of the principals indicated that the training teachers had received on handling integrated sciences and health science was quite inadequate, 50% rated it inadequate, 22% evaluated it slightly adequate, 8% regarded it quite adequate, and 5% rated it adequate. From these responses, principals established that principals gauged the training teachers had received on handling integrated and health science as inadequate. This finding is consistent with that of Momanyi and Rop (2019), who established that teachers in the Bomet East Sub-county were not adequately trained to handle the CBC system of education. This consistency may imply that most teachers are not trained in CBC.
After this finding, this study sought to establish how principals appraised teachers' preparedness to teach pre-technical and career education. Their responses are shown in Table 3. 20% of the principals indicated that the training teachers had received on handling pre-technical and career education was quite inadequate, 25% rated it inadequate, 25% evaluated it slightly adequate, 13% regarded it quite adequate, and 17% rated it adequate. In verbatim, they said;

The majority of the teachers had no idea of what pre-technical and career education entailed and that there was a need for teachers to be inducted properly into it.
This study is in accord with that conducted by Kimeu, Tanui and Ronoh (2015), who established that teacher resource is one of the most important inputs to the education system, with teachers being critical determinants of the quality education offered. They established that most teachers were not trained in CBC despite being important resources.
In the next issue, principals were required to appraise their teachers' preparedness to handle integrated social studies. 15% of the principals indicated that the training teachers had received on handling integrated social studies was quite inadequate, 37% rated it inadequate, 30% evaluated it slightly adequate, 8% regarded it quite adequate, and 10 rated it adequate (see Table  3). These responses show that teachers were not prepared to handle integrated social studies in the new CBC system of education. One of the principals remarked;

Most of the teachers lacked knowledge of what it was about. They are used to teaching their subjects distinctively. This integration thing is ambiguous to them.
This study sought to establish principals' teachers' preparedness to handle visual and creative arts. 15% of the respondents indicated that the training teachers had received on handling visual and creative arts was quite inadequate, 42% rated it inadequate, 13 evaluated it slightly adequate, 13% regarded it quite adequate, and 13% rated it adequate (see Table 3). This study established that most of the respondents (n=70) revealed that their teachers were not prepared to handle visual and creative arts in the new CBC system of education.
In regard to the use of ICT in CBC implementation, 14 (22%) of the principals indicated that the training their teachers had received on using ICT in CBC implementation was quite inadequate, 30% rated it inadequate, 25% evaluated it slightly adequate, 15% regarded it quite adequate, and 8% rated it adequate (see Table 3). From these responses, most principals (N=77%) in the sub-county, as shown by those who indicated that it was quite inadequate, inadequate and slightly adequate, indicated that most teachers were not prepared to use ICT in CBC implementation. When asked to talk about teachers' use of ICT in CBC implementation, they explained that most teachers lacked knowledge on how to use computers; hence training was necessary to equip them with skills on how to use ICT. The findings of this study are coherent with those of a study conducted by Mwaboraet al.
(2019), whose findings indicated that teachers experienced challenges such as inadequate information and communications technology skills.  2  5  7  17  4  10  5  13  3  8  Slightly adequate  9  22  10  25  12  30  5  13  10  25  Quite adequate  3  8  5  13  3  8  7  17  6  15  Inadequate  20  50  10  25  15  37  17  42  12  30  Quite inadequate  6  15  8  20  6  15  6  15  9  22  Total  374  100  40  100  40  100  40  100  40  100  Source: Research finding, 2022 The study, in its final appraisal, sought to establish from teachers (n=230) their preparedness to implement CBC in Nyamira South Sub-county. They were required first to indicate if they had or had not been trained in CBC. 41.49% (n= 144) of the respondents had been trained on CBC, while 58.51% (n=230) had not been trained. This statistic shows that most of the respondents had not trained on CBC. This may imply that they may not be in a good position to implement it when it is rolled in public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-county.
The teachers were also required to reveal if they had been inducted into CBC. From their responses, 29% (n=104) indicated that they had not been inducted on CBC, while 71% (n=270) revealed that they had not been inducted on CBC. This finding is an indicator that CBC implementation in public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-county may not be effectively implemented CBC.
After establishing whether teachers sampled for this study had undergone CBC training and or induction, this study sought to establish their preparedness to implement the system of education. They were required to measure their preparedness to handle integrated science and health science. 17, 33% of the respondents indicated that the training they had received on handling integrated sciences and health science was quite inadequate, 24% rated it inadequate, 13% evaluated it slightly adequate, 22% regarded it quite adequate, and 8% rated it adequate (see Table 4). From these responses, most teachers (N=294) in the sub-county, as shown by those who indicated that it was quite inadequate, inadequate and slightly adequate, were not prepared to handle integrated sciences and health science in the new CBC system of education. One of the respondents had this to say; Teachers were not yet fully prepared to implement the new curriculum, and for that program to be successful, teachers require sufficient training to handle integrated sciences and health sciences. One day's training is not sufficient to make teachers competent to implement a weighty program like CBC.
This finding is consistent with that of Momanyi and Rop (2019), who established that teachers in the Bomet East sub-county were not adequately trained to handle the CBC system of education. They suggested that more training is needed to bridge the existing gap. From the finding of this study, the researcher similarly recommended that more training on how to handle integrated science and health science is essential.
The respondents were also required to evaluate their preparedness to teach pre-technical and career education. 33% of the respondents indicated that the training they had received on handling pre-technical and career education was quite inadequate, 27% rated it inadequate, 11% evaluated it slightly adequate, 24% regarded it quite adequate, and 5% rated it adequate (see Table 4). From these responses, most teachers (N= 314) in the sub-county, as shown by those who indicated that it was quite inadequate, inadequate and slightly adequate, were not prepared to handle pre-technical and career education in the new CBC system of education. A verbatim response from one of the respondents states; CBC involves hands-on or practical activities, and thus the need to train teachers on how to handle pre-technical and career education for them to effectively implement CBC. This is something that cannot be realised within a short time of training. It requires mastery of skills related to the pretechnical subject.
A similar finding was established by . They found that CBC was not uniformly implemented in Rwanda as a result of disparities in teachers' professional development and inadequate training. This may imply that in most African countries where CBC has been started, training teachers who are the implementers of the curriculum is a challenge.
Another aspect of preparedness that was sought from teachers is that of handling integrated social studies. 19, 36% of the respondents indicated that the training they had received on handling integrated social studies was quite inadequate, 27% rated it inadequate, 11% evaluated it slightly adequate, 21% regarded it quite adequate, and 5% rated it adequate (see Table 4). From these responses, most teachers (n=314) in the subcounty, as shown by those who indicated that it was quite inadequate, inadequate and slightly adequate, were not prepared to handle integrated social studies in the new CBC system of education. According to one of the respondents; Only a few teachers had been inducted into it, and still, a larger number of teachers were waiting to be trained. This may make the implementation of the system a challenge.
This study is in agreement with that of Makunja (2016), who established that implementation of CBC was impaired by inadequate in-service training of teachers on CBC. This may suggest that for teachers to effectively implement CBC, training is significant.
A very significant aspect of CBC is the practical dimension. Visual and creative arts are practical subjects. Teachers were asked to evaluate their preparedness to handle visual and creative arts. From the responses shown in Table 4, 49% of the respondents indicated that the training they had received on handling visual and creative arts was quite inadequate, 24% rated it inadequate, 7% evaluated it slightly adequate, 16% regarded it quite adequate, and 4% rated it adequate. From these responses, most teachers (n= 274) in the sub-county, as shown by those who indicated that it was quite inadequate, inadequate and slightly adequate, were not prepared to handle visual and creative arts in the new CBC system of education. One of the respondents stated that; Most teachers were not equipped to handle it, and further that special training was required for a teacher to handle visual and creative arts. The respondent further disclosed that during the little training, they got, no practical aspects were exposed to them. More of it was the theory. There was no seriousness in helping the teachers handle equipment meant to facilitate practical. Similar findings were established by Komba et l. (2015), who found that most teachers lacked general knowledge and skills on practical. This study found that the training those who were involved in this study went through when they were being trained as teachers in their respective tertiary institutions was not related to handling visual and creative arts. It will take time before they are acquainted with it in CBC. What this study and the current study agrees on is that teachers were not trained to handle visual and creative arts.
Teachers were asked to evaluate their preparedness to use ICT in CBC implementation. From the responses shown in Table 3, 40% of the respondents indicated that the training they had received on using ICT in CBC implementation was quite inadequate, 19% rated it inadequate, 17% evaluated it slightly adequate, 5% regarded it quite adequate, and 19% rated it adequate. From these responses, most teachers (n= 224) in the sub-county, as shown by those who indicated that it was quite inadequate, inadequate and slightly adequate, were not prepared to use ICT in CBC implementation in the new system of education. One of the respondents said; The majority of teachers had no knowledge of computers and how they can be used. He added that most teachers have a phobia of computers. Most of them did not take computer science in college and therefore did not have basic computer knowledge and skills. Atikiya (2021) found a similar result that preschool teachers are still ill-equipped with the new curriculum despite being trained and lacking computer skills. Training is paramount if teachers are to effectively use ICT in implementing CBC. Those in public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-county need such training.

Summary
This study established that some teachers had been trained in CBC. However, principals and teachers were not satisfied with the level of training they had received. According to the teachers and principals, the training took a few hours in one day and did not touch on how they could use it to help learners gain skills. This study established mainly from principals and teachers that more time and period were needed for them to be adequately trained. On their part, this study noted that the CSO, SCQASO and the sub-county directors (TM and MoE) could not evaluate exactly the extent to which the training they were giving teachers could help them implement CBC. To some extent, this study noted that they could also be fulfilling their assignment of meeting instructions of the government. This study noted that some trainers of teachers were also not conversant with what they were training teachers.

Conclusion
From the findings of this study, it is apparent that all public secondary schools in Nyamira South Sub-county are ill-prepared to implement CBC. Most of their teachers have not been trained in the new curriculum. The study concludes that they need to be well trained with clear guidelines and objectives spelt out. The study also concludes that the training should not be hurriedly done as a public relations exercise.

Recommendations
The study was carried out in Nyamira South Subcounty, Nyamira County. This study proposes that a similar study be carried out in other sub-counties in Kenya. This will facilitate the generalisation of research findings and therefore get a general picture of the state of preparedness of public secondary schools for CBC implementation. A similar study can be carried out in private secondary schools in the sub-county to allow a comparison of the state of preparedness.