Teacher Christine Mwilu at her workplace. Photo/HandoutPhoto/Handout
By Newsflash Writer
The new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) system emphasizes the importance of students gaining practical skills that will help them in their future lives.
This is in contrast to the 8-4-4 system, which was heavily focused on examinations and the grades that students attained.
Turning social media into a classroom tool
In embracing and furthering the main goal of the CBC system, teacher Christine Mwilu has turned to TikTok to ensure that her students understand what she is teaching them.
Popularly known as Teacher Christine to her students, she serves at Naramat Private Primary School in Ngong, Kajiado County.
What prompted her to embrace TikTok despite the criticism often associated with social media?
In an exclusive interview with Newsflash, the teacher said times have changed, and educators must adapt to teaching a generation that is very different from the past.
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“Times have changed. Technology is now the main way to educate students. The advent of social media has completely changed the way we educate,” says Teacher Christine.
According to her, the use of TikTok has brought unique awareness among her students and fellow teachers, who were initially skeptical about whether her efforts would succeed.
“I started using TikTok to educate my students on August 11, 2023. This was after a video was posted online showing a teacher severely beating and abusing a young student. The video portrayed teachers in a negative light. It upset me, but it also inspired me to change the perception of teachers by using social media positively,” she said.
From Kitui roots to digital innovation
Teacher Christine was born in Kitui County, where she attended Matinyani DEB Primary School before proceeding to Matinyani Girls’ High School. She later joined Kitui Teachers College, where she trained between 2012 and 2014.
Since then, she has taught in several schools and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Swahili at Mount Kenya University.
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Her journey into digital teaching has not been easy. She notes that some parents still hold outdated views and do not fully appreciate the importance of technology in education.
“To address this challenge, we have started a program to sensitize parents and the wider community on the importance of embracing technology, albeit with caution,” she said.
Her TikTok account, Teacher Christine, has become her main platform for delivering lessons. She also runs a YouTube channel under the same name.
Her call to teachers across the country is clear: embrace technology and use it to educate students.
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