The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has offered an apology following public uproar over misleading content in a Form Three Biology textbook. The apology, dated 15 August, was signed by KICD Chief Executive Officer Charles Ong’ondo, acknowledging concerns raised by citizens relating to certain sections of the book Certificate Biology for Form Three Learners used in the 8-4-4 education system.
The current controversy surrounds two sentences in the book that appeared to link indecent dressing to a higher risk of rape, therefore attracting very wide criticism. The contested content is on page 170 under the subtopic “Prevention of AIDS” and suggests that a decent dress code can prevent HIV/AIDS since it does not provoke sexual arousal, implying that many rape cases result from such provocation.
KICD understood that the sentences in issue could be seen to imply that indecent dressing is the real cause of rape and hence “victim blaming.” The institute reacted with an apology for failing to get rid of the lines while the book was under evaluation in 2005, announcing immediate steps to address the issue.
A review committee consisting of curriculum development officers, quality assurance officers, teachers, and other stakeholders has been set up to review the content of the book within the next two weeks. KICD also has plans to guide the publisher on how to revise appropriately to avert similar misrepresentation in the future and will advise schools on how to guide the learners appropriately on the concerned topics after the review.