Since the introduction of the new government, there has been an ongoing debate about the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) versus the old 8-4-4 system.
The 8-4-4 system relied heavily on teacher-led instruction without much input from students.
This standardized learning approach assumed that all learners, regardless of their abilities, were capable of taking on the same content and exams.
However, learners with learning challenges or disabilities were at a disadvantage under this system.
In contrast, the CBC puts the learner at the center of the curriculum.
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It addresses the specific learning needs of each student and provides tailored competencies to help them understand important issues.
Supporters of the CBC argue that it is the best education system because it nurtures talents without limits and allows children to find their interests among a wide range of opportunities and activities provided by the syllabus.
However, some parents have voiced concerns about the cost of the CBC system.
They argue that it is expensive, particularly for parents with multiple children in school, as they have to dig deeper into their pockets to cover material costs.
Additionally, CBC activities are time-consuming and labor-intensive, requiring parents to be 100% engaged in developing the necessary items.
Parents who are not tech-savvy also find the system intimidating, as they have to learn to use the Internet to search for learning materials, create documents, and print assignments for their children.
These parents feel that the 8-4-4 system was better because it encouraged children to be more independent and manage their time, do their assignments, and submit them without the involvement of parents.
They also feel that children under the 8-4-4 system were more organized and creative as they found their way to meet all the school needs with the help of their peers.
Additionally, they believe that the 8-4-4 system provided high-quality education because learners had to attempt a minimum number of subjects in the final national exams, giving them a little knowledge about every topic.
Supporters of CBC argue that the system is better than the 8-4-4 system because it focuses on acquiring competencies rather than just content.
According to Howard Gardner, a professor of education at Harvard University, intelligence is not solely based on IQ testing.
Gardner posits that eight diverse intelligence measures account for a broader range of potential in people, including linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-Kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist intelligence.
The CBC system ensures the inclusion of children’s abilities and does not limit them to a certain standard of intelligence measure.
It allows them to find areas of strength and supports them with relevant content to equally thrive in those areas as other children in different areas.
In the CBC system, there are no “heads” and “tails” as there were in the 8-4-4 system, which created stigma and demotivation in children who could not do anything about their low IQ performance.
The CBC system enables every child to identify their strengths in the various intelligence measures, making it appealing to many parents who value education quality.
CBC is better than the 8-4-4 because it considers all children by providing parallel and complementary academic, vocational, and talent tiers.
In a nutshell, the CBC system is a more inclusive approach to education that recognizes the unique needs and strengths of every learner, making it superior to the 8-4-4 system
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