A Sector Wide Model for Curriculum Accountability in the Public Secondary Education in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this research paper was to carry out a sector wide exposition of accountability in curriculum implementation in the public secondary schools in Kenya. The research is conducted with a view to evolving a sector wide model for curriculum accountability in these schools. At the center of this accountability are the Boards of Management and their linkages with various curriculum agencies. BOMA are the semi-autonomous school governing bodies with established local, national and, in some cases, global linkages. The linkages are referred to accountability pathways. The perception that Boards of Management were indifferent to school curriculum matters had gained currency amongst most educational stakeholders. The solicited support of the curriculum agencies during curriculum implementation mitigates against the inherent financial constraints. The continued support of the public secondary education sector by these agencies is usually a function of transparent accountability of funds by the recipient institution. The learning and visible physical facility outcomes were the expected transformational benefits accruing to the curriculum implementation. A lucrative threshold for curriculum accountability by BOMA is created. The researcher employed the content analysis method to progressively analyze nine established curriculum models to the very latest. A novel sector wide curriculum accountability model that reciprocally interrelates corporate curriculum agencies with BOMA was formulated to mitigate accountability challenges experienced in the public secondary schools in Kenya. Though objectively intricate, the model operationalizes curriculum accountability processes amongst the pertinent agencies. The model generated unprecedented strengths for the progressive curriculum in the public secondary school sector. The model is replicable to similar education sectors in the developing countries.