The Ministry of Education has taken a key step towards rolling out Competency-Based Education (CBE) in universities, with plans that could change how courses are designed, taught and assessed.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

In a notice issued on Tuesday, August 18, the State Department for Higher Education called on consultants to help develop a framework to guide the adoption of CBE in universities, extending the system already used in primary and secondary schools.

According to the department, the assignment will support the Commission for University Education (CUE) in reviewing and preparing the framework for implementation.

“The services to be included under this project are to support the Commission for University Education in the review, validation, development, implementation and operationalization of a University Competence-Based Education (CBE) Framework in Kenya that enhances quality, relevance, employability, innovation capacity and industry responsiveness of university education,” the notice stated.

📌 What You Need to Know

The assignment is expected to take 12 months, putting the framework’s completion beyond 2026, despite Higher Education Secretary Carol Hunja’s earlier indication in March that the CBE rollout would be completed by the end of the year .

Under the planned system, the ministry is looking to introduce clearer learning outcomes and graduate skill profiles for different academic disciplines, based on professional and industry requirements.

This means students could eventually encounter changes in course content, learning methods, assessments and the skills they are expected to demonstrate before graduation.

University programmes will be reviewed to determine how well they match the skills employers require and the country’s development priorities.

In addition, the framework will also provide guidance on curriculum development, teaching, assessment, practical learning, digital education and other methods of delivering university courses.

Each university will be assessed to determine its readiness for the new approach and identify areas where additional support or resources may be required.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke