The Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) Director Technical Service Stanley Maindi has affirmed that Kenya is keen to help several African nations that have expressed interest in adopting the country’s credit accumulation systems (KCATS).
Speaking during a recent international workshop of educationists in Luanda, Angola, that brought together more than 55 participants from 19 countries, Maindi revealed that the policy, which is currently awaiting the Cabinet nod, will greatly benefit employers and industries as it will ensure qualifications awarded in learning institutions are standardized.
“KCATS provides a platform for employers to collaborate with educational institutions, influencing curriculum development to better align with industry needs. It is important to note that this is a systematic way of validating, recognizing and transferring prior learning achievements or accumulated credits towards attainment of a qualification and Lifelong learning,” he said.
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He revealed that KCATs is an instrument for facilitating inter-institutional, inter-programme, cross-border and cross-level mobility as well as lifelong learning.
Maindi further added that the Kenya Credit Accumulation and Transfer policy framework provide clarity in an increasingly diverse qualifications ecosystem and is aligned to the Kenya National Qualification framework (KNQF), level descriptors and the regional and continental frameworks.
“In alignment with on-going initiatives for regional and continental education and training harmonization, supported by UNESCO’s Addis Convention on the recognition of degrees and certificates (2014), the Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CAT) system emerges as an indispensable tool for quantifying and validating qualifications,” he said.
He asserted that the policy will serve as a catalyst for seamless mobility and inspires a new era of holistic education and training in Kenya especially within university education where it is targeted to offer significant benefits.
“It ensures that our qualifications are comparable and compatible with international standards, enhancing the global recognition and credibility of Kenyan degrees. This system also promotes academic mobility, allowing students to transfer credits earned in one institution to another, thereby reducing the time and cost of obtaining a degree,” he added.
The two-day forum which ended on Friday was supported by the African Union in collaboration with the European Training Foundation (ETF) and was aimed at implementing the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF) as a continental policy instrument.
By Vostine Ratemo
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