Basic Education Principal Secretary (PS) Prof. Julius Bitok has officially flagged off the 97th Kenya National Music Festivals taking place in Meru county, terming the event as the epitome of Competency-Based Education (CBE).
Addressing the media, Prof. Bitok said he was excited to watch the performances, which brought out the extent of creativity and talents among the learners.
The PS said the event was also aimed at looking for the best pieces to proceed to the state concert, adding that great creativity, especially from the Junior secondary school learners under CBE was excellent.
“CBE has really taken root and we see our children trying to create pieces in a magnanimous way. As a Ministry, we are impressed by the kind of products coming out of it,” he said.
The PS said the festivals were moving on well with the planners doing a wonderful job, noting with satisfaction that so far no complaints or ugly incidences had been recorded.
He assured the nation that everything was in place at festivals, with children enjoying their time, while the adjudicators continued to do their best.
Prof. Bitok encouraged learners to continue working hard towards such co-curricular activities, adding that there were three pathways under CBE transition to senior school and they were being manifested at the event.
“We have three pathways, including STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and Social Sciences, as well as Arts and Sports Science, and we can see that being displayed in the music being sung here,” he said.
“One of the key issues the Kenya Kwanza government is focusing on is the creative industry, where we have four state departments that are concerned about creativity, and we are calling upon all our young people to take advantage of the opportunities created by the state to monetise their talents,” said Prof. Bitok.
The PS added that the government is mainstreaming music being produced by learners to ensure monetisation so they can benefit from their work.
He added: “We are working on a system where every piece of music that is watched gets to the schools and also learners. When you watch creatives on e-citizen, you have to pay. We are working closely with eCitizen and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development to grow this so that our learners, who create pieces, can equally enjoy the benefits of their creative talents.”
One of the event sponsors, Allan Weche, from the School Equipment Production Unit (SEPU), said as providers of STEM materials, they found partnership with Kenya Music Festivals under the auspices of the Ministry of Education in sponsoring the young talents.
“We are providers of STEM materials to educational institutions in Kenya and as such, we are nurturing the young talents in the expression of the arts. We are also introducing these materials to them early enough before they graduate to senior school,” said Weche.
He added that they were also providing special kits and mobile laboratories to enable the young learners to express that in their performance while also sponsoring the various composers of the choral music in harnessing the STEM concepts and ensuring the learners are aware of the materials.
At the same time, Weche said they were also sponsoring the learners to be aware that there was a provider who was walking with them in the CBE curriculum in the provision of these materials.
“The raw talent being exhibited here is all about the STEM; we are bringing up that concept, the background of the STEM ecosystem in the CBE curriculum, which is more about the production of STEM-oriented career citizens,” he added.
“We want to support them so they are able to capture these aspects and appreciate the STEM concepts in their early lives of their education,” said Weche.
By Dickson Mwiti
