Global Journal of Human Social Science, G: Linguistics and Education, Volume 22 Issue 4

point to the argument that moral excellence as a necessary condition for a good life is acquired habitually. In order to have acceptable moral standards, teachers ought to carefully examine the unique nature of the learners so that the standards set to be taught and habituated on are within the criteria of compelling and appealing. In the Kenyan education system, there are expressions that are intended for moral development. They constitute what has been outlined as the Moral goal of education (MGE) in Kenya, namely; that education in Kenya should instil in the learners sound moral and religious values. It is apparent that morality as the basis of MGE should serve as a central goal in the educational process. V. T he C ompetency based C urriculum and M oral E ducation in K enya The government task force led by Professor Odhiambo entitled: Report of the Task Force on Re- Alignment of the Education Sector to the Kenya Vision 2030 and the Constitution 2010 (GoK, 2012) and Sessional Paper No. 2 of 2015: Reforming Education and Training in Kenya the restructuring of education in Keny a necessitated the change in structure of the system of education in Kenya from 8-4-4 to 2-6-3-3-3 system of education, commonly known as Competence Based Curriculum (CBC). Essentially, the 8-4-4 is being faced out gradually and by 2028, it is expected that the system of education in Kenya shall have completely changed to CBC. One critical comment that has been made repeatedly against 8-4-4 is that its curriculum content and implementation is academic and examination oriented. Similarly, lack of enough teaching and learning resources, inadequately prepared teachers, and emergence of social vices such as drug and substance abuse, antisocial behaviour and corruption have persistently bedevilled 8-4-4, thus the need for a complete overhaul of the curriculum (GoK, 2017). In the moral sphere, the CBC envisions the production of ethical citizens. It is observed that the youth are growing up without the desired moral values required of them as responsible citizens. Whereas the responsibility of moral development is a function of many other institutions such as family, society and religious organisations, CBC recognises that the school play a pivotal role in character formation amongst the youth. The constitution of Kenya 2010 had already highlighted some moral values for inculcation such as honesty, trustworthiness, respect, compassion, tolerance and understanding. Other moral values for inculcation envisioned within CBC include: empathy, generosity, love and care, kindness and sharing. In this article, four questions were of interest in relation to how ME would be implemented within the CBC system. One, what would be the pedagogical approaches for the teaching of ME? Two, in which content areas (subject) will moral values be taught? Three, how will the implementation of ME be evaluated? And finally, what would be the philosophy guiding the implementation of ME within CBC? In response to question one, CBC envisions an integrated approach to teaching moral values in all the three forms of education, namely; formal, informal and non-formal education. Similarly, the teaching approaches are expected to be modelled within the psychological developmental theories, namely; Instrumental Design Theory, Visible Learning Theory and Constructivism Theories (Dewey’s social constructivism, Vygotsky’s social-cultural development theory, Gardner’s Multiple intelligence theory, Piaget’s cognitive development theory, Bruner’s cognitive development theory and Erik Erikson’s theory of psychological development) (GoK, 2017). To underscore the importance of formal education in acquisition of key competencies envisioned in the CBC, the report notes: A competency based approach enables meaningful connections within and between subject areas through a focus on competencies. Subjects and Subjects will continue to be taught and will be the vehicles through which the core competencies are developed over time (GoK, 2017, p. 21). The above quotation seems to respond to question two that was raised above. Indeed, it is insinuated that the teaching of moral values will be conducted within the content in subject areas. One of the learning outcomes for CBC across all the levels of education is to demonstrate acquisition of moral values. An examination of the content areas of CBC indicates that the teaching of moral aspects of education will be handled majorly within RE subjects, namely; Religious Activities (Pre-Primary), Religious Education Activities (Lower Primary), Religious Education-CRE/IRE/HRE (Upper primary- Upper Secondary). The teaching of these moral values will be modelled under the guidelines of the psychological theories of constructivism. The above summary of how CBC intends to achieve moral values among the learners raises a few important questions. In the first instance, morality and spiritual growth have been treated in the same vein as though they mean one and the same thing. The following quotations may serve sufficient grounds to demonstrate this contention, ‘emphasis should be on aspects of religion that help learners appreciate their own and other’s religious beliefs and values (GoK, 2017: 39)’. The implication of the above quotation is that moral values are given more of a metaphysical approach within the dictates of religion. When moral values are taught within the religious dimension, they are examined within the perspectives of the particular religious orientation under consideration. In this regard, Volume XXII Issue IV Version I 32 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 © 2022 Global Journals G Implementation of Moral Education in Kenyan Schools: A Possibility or an Illusion? Some Critical Reflections