The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development has apologised over sentences in Certificate Biology Form 3 book that appear to shift blame to rape victims.
The sentences are on page 170 of the book under sub topic "prevention of AIDS".
The author insinuates that rape can be caused by indecent dressing and advises learners, particularly girls, to dress modestly to avoid tempting rapists.
The text reads:
"Modest dress code and behaviour to avoid provoking or tempting other persons into sexual arousal. Many rape cases are due to such provocations. One should also avoid being alone with a person of the opposite sex in secluded areas to prevent losing one's control.”
It adds: “Date rapes are even more common than rape by total strangers. Girls should be especially watchful in not having their drinks mixed with drugs or alcohol which cause them to lose control of their senses."
The text sparked uproar online with KICD admitting that some Kenyans contacted them directly and demanded a public apology and thorough review of all educational materials.
KICD Director and CEO, Prof Charles Ong’ondo, said in a statement the emails in particular expressed concern that two sentences insinuate that rape can be caused by indecent dressing or that modesty and dress codes are effective in preventing rape.
He said Kenyans were concerned that the narrative is not only misleading but also dangerous, as it perpetuates victim-blaming and reinforces rape culture.
“The Institute acknowledges that indeed the sentences above could be interpreted to suggest that indecent dressing is the main cause of rape and may also insinuate "victim blaming" in case of rape,” Prof Ong’ondo said.
“Therefore, KICD offers an apology to readers who consider the quoted sentences in the book Certificate Biology for Form Three to be misleading, for not detecting this during the evaluation in 2005."
KICD said the book was published by East African Educational Publishers (EAEP) in 2004 and evaluated/approved by KICD (KIE then) and listed in the Orange Book in 2005.
It said a new edition of the book was printed and distributed to schools in 2018.
The agency took the blame for the oversight despite clarifying that the process of evaluating and approving books is rigorous to ensure any material being consumed by learners is as free of errors as humanly possible.
It said the criteria for approval include relevance to the curriculum, accuracy of content, language use, appropriateness for learners at various levels, attention to national values and inclusiveness in terms of gender, ethnicity and religion among other standards.
Prof Ong’ondo said the evaluation process involves convening panels of educators (mostly teachers) of the levels for which the materials are intended.
He said the material is then passed on to a team of verifiers (usually KICD and Ministry of Education officers) who then review the initial evaluation and recommend (or not) the material for approval by the KICD Council.
Whether a book is approved or not, Ong’ondo added, the publisher is expected to make corrections based on the report of the evaluators and verifiers.
“The corrections are then checked by KICD officers before the book is stamped ‘Approved’ by KICD and cleared to be used in schools,” he explained.
Despite this rigorous gatekeeping, it’s clear the offending sentences escaped the attention of the panel of professionals who KICD said were usually between five and 15 in number.
Prof Ong’ondo, however, gave the public his word that there was no intention to justify rape under any circumstances even as modest and decent dressing is encouraged among learners and the entire public, especially in the school context.
“As a way forward, KICD has constituted a panel as stipulated in the Institute's Materials Evaluation Criteria, comprising of curriculum development officers, quality assurance and standards officers, teachers and other relevant stakeholders to review the content of the book within two weeks,” the agency boss said.
“KICD shall issue an advisory to the publisher on what revisions to make to avoid any potential misinterpretations by the learners. The schools will also be informed after the review on how to guide the learners on the relevant topic,” he added.
Prof Ong’ondo appreciates the public feedback and assures that all legitimate concerns will be addressed expeditiously.