Coronavirus Era: Implications for Reconceptualization of Curriculum Delivery in Kenyan Primary and Secondary Schools

Abstract

The school curriculum encapsulates what a progressive society, based on the pluralist values of liberal democracy, believes its future citizens should know and be able to do. In this respect, the curriculum should serve the immediate and long-term needs of all students. However, COVID-19 has uncovered the inequities that have existed in curriculum and delivery, especially in developing countries. School closures due to COVID-19 have resulted in actual learning wastage. The primary question is: what changes in curriculum and delivery are essential to improving equity and learning access within this pandemic context? Therefore, the study was guided by e-learning theory as advanced by Richard E. Mayer, John Sweller, and Roxana Moreno in 2015. The theory outlines cognitive science principles that describe how electronic educational technology is used and designed to promote effective learning. The theorists advanced that channeling linguistic information through audio while concurrently showing non-text imagery is very effective. The theory applies to this study to suggest combining media to facilitate learning during the pandemic lockdown period. The study also adopted a documentary analysis approach. Documents on curriculum development and delivery were analyzed. In Kenya, the education sector has been struggling with how to adopt online-based solutions for curriculum delivery. Despite this, losses are more significant due to the lack of adequate structures to sustain effective e-teaching and e-learning. The suspension of face-to-face learning in all educational institutions led to "unfinished learning" as the learners were not allowed to experience all the understanding they would have had in a typical class. The study might be significant to Kenya and sub-Sahara Africa, as policymakers and curriculum developers would use the findings to formulate curriculum reforms to redress the coronavirus's impact on education. Conclusively, the study recommends the use of e-learning as a mitigation strategy for coronavirus challenges in educational systems.