From the abracadabra of CBC to CBE, we're shifting gears to head back to the old country
Peter Kimani
By
Peter Kimani
| Aug 29, 2025
The young man of the house, back from his sojourns in Europe, let it be known how happy he was to be back home, “because the water in Spain is yucky,” and that he was “tired of seeing so many white people.”
I have no idea what sort of water folks in Barcelona take, so I can’t speak to its “yuckiness,” but the statement about racial composition and a sense of alienation that the young man alludes to is relatable. It’s a statement expressed by many “returnees,” including many Africans in the diaspora.
They admit to experiencing a certain relief simply by being in a familiar environment.
This week marked another milestone for the young man. He was meant to move to junior high next year.
But given the sarakasi surrounding the transition from 8-4-4 to Competency-Based Curriculum, now refined to Competency-Based Education, we don’t know what’s next.
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I did not feel confident to entrust the lad’s future in folks who wake up one morning saying Math is mandatory, make it optional in the afternoon, and restore it before nightfall.
It simply means they don’t know what they are doing. After many months of agonising on my part, the young man is joining the IGCSE curriculum.
I am aware of the imperialist elements of British education in its former colonies, now serving as extensions of the old country.
The lad’s mother attended one of those introductory meetings in school. I try to steer clear as much as possible from such forums, because I have a short fuse and I often can’t stand the stupidity of so-called Group of Schools.
Yes, I speak that way, and few people can stand such bluntness. I understand some parents broached the idea of a book fund that would allow a one-off investment. The sum in question is tidy enough to cover tuition and board for a high school student at a national school for a year.
I understand that the idea was shot down because the school board is yet to make a decision—I don’t think it’s their decision alone, by the way—but most parents were too terrified to speak up. Anyway, who cares about saving forests by recycling books through the classes?