Alignment and Gaps of the Competency-Based Mathematics Curriculum and the Fourth Industrial Revolution

In recent years, several African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Cameroon, Ghana and Ethiopia, have adopted the competency-based curriculum or CBC. The reasons for the adoption of CBC include, among others, supporting the development of twenty-first-century skills, addressing the disconnect between the skills of graduates of the school system and the skills required in the workplace and developing robust knowledge, skills and attitudes for economic growth. This chapter reviews the potential contribution of CBC’s mathematics curriculum to the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) in Africa. We discuss what the 4IR means in Africa and what it demands of mathematics teaching and learning. A content analysis conducted on selected mathematics curricula in Africa explicates the opportunities and challenges they offer regarding the 4IR. The results show that the curricula in the countries examined hold great capacity for preparing learners to contribute to the 4IR since, to a large extent, they have incorporated the requisite skills. However, that capacity can only be realized if teachers are clear on how to unpack and integrate the core competencies into their lessons.