For too long, our schools have churned out graduates armed with certificates but empty of real-world skills. Employers sigh. Industries struggle. The economy bears the cost. Every year, thousands of young people leave school academically certified but practically unprepared for life, work, or enterprise. This is a systemic failure that threatens national growth, innovation, and competitiveness. Enough is enough. It is time to rethink the very purpose of education—and Competency-Based Education (CBE) is the key.
CBE is not about memorizing facts for exams or regurgitating theories on paper. It is about what learners can actually do. It emphasizes practical skills, problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, and readiness to contribute immediately to society and the economy. Properly implemented, CBE transforms schools from mere academic institutions into factories for competent, skilled, and ready-to-work human resources.
A central goal of CBE is to produce graduates who are in high market demand. Unlike traditional education that often leaves learners unprepared for the realities of work, CBE ensures students acquire the skills employers actively seek. From digital literacy, technical expertise, and critical thinking to communication, innovation, and entrepreneurship, CBE equips learners with competencies that make them immediately employable and adaptable to emerging opportunities. Schools stop being just places for learning—they become launchpads for talent, innovation, and economic contribution.
When CBE is fully embraced, graduates will not only read about technology, agriculture, or commerce—they will be able to apply it. They will not only learn about teamwork, leadership, or communication—they will demonstrate it. They will not only know the theories behind business, healthcare, or engineering—they will act on them, innovate, and lead. This alignment between learning outcomes and market demand ensures that education produces graduates who are relevant, valuable, and highly competitive.
ALSO READ:
Kilifi TVET heads laud CBET programme, say trainees equipped with market-ready skills
But the path to this transformation is not automatic. It requires bold, deliberate, and uncompromising reforms. Curriculum content must match industry needs, ensuring that what students learn is directly useful in the workplace or in entrepreneurship. Teachers must be trained not just as lecturers, but as mentors, facilitators, and assessors of competencies. Schools must be equipped with laboratories, workshops, ICT tools, and materials for hands-on, practical learning. Assessment systems must move beyond exams and grades to measure mastery, application, and skill demonstration.
The private sector, civil society, and community stakeholders also have a crucial role. They must help define the competencies that students need to succeed in specific fields, ensuring that education is closely linked to economic realities. This partnership between schools, industry, and society is non-negotiable if we are to produce graduates who are ready to work, innovate, and solve societal problems.
The consequences of failure are grave. A nation that invests heavily in education yet produces graduates who cannot apply what they have learned is shortchanging its future. Skills gaps persist, unemployment rises, and development stalls. Young people become disillusioned, industries remain unproductive, and society bears the cost of inefficiency. Conversely, a nation that fully embraces CBE will produce a generation that is employable, adaptable, and capable of driving economic growth. Graduates will become innovators, problem-solvers, entrepreneurs, and leaders. Schools will no longer be mere learning centers—they will be engines of national development.
The stakes could not be higher. The classrooms of today determine the workforce of tomorrow. Schools must stop producing graduates who are “ready on paper but unready in practice.” They must produce human resources who can step into the world and deliver immediately, who can innovate, lead, and create value for themselves and the nation. Competency-Based Education is not optional; it is a lifeline for the economic, social, and technological future of our country.
ALSO READ:
How collapsing integrity in educational institutions affects societal moral fabric
We must act decisively, without hesitation. Teachers, policymakers, parents, industry leaders, and students themselves must commit to a radical overhaul of education. Resources must be allocated, infrastructure must be upgraded, and assessment systems must be modernized. The private sector must collaborate with schools to ensure relevance, and teachers must be empowered to mentor, guide, and evaluate competencies rigorously.
The time for rhetoric is over. The time for action is now. Schools can no longer exist as isolated islands of knowledge. They must be launchpads for human resource development, engines of national growth, and incubators of talent, skill, and innovation. The nation’s future rests in the hands of our schools and the quality of education they provide. If we fail to implement Competency-Based Education fully and effectively, we fail our youth, our economy, and our country. If we succeed, we will unleash a generation capable of building, leading, and transforming Kenya.
It is a bold vision, but it is achievable. It is a responsibility, but one we cannot shirk. Competency-Based Education is not merely a policy; it is a promise to our youth and to the nation that schools will deliver finished human resource products—graduates who are skilled, competent, and in high market demand. The future of Kenya depends on our courage, commitment, and action today. The time to act is now—boldly, decisively, and relentlessly.
By Hillary Muhalya
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
>>> Click here to read more informed opinions on the country’s education landscape
