KNEC opens online training for CBE exam question writers

Teachers in Senior School and vocational institutions are now learning how to craft assessment questions for Kenya’s new curriculum, after the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) opened an online course on item writing. The three-week programme started on Monday, October 12, and closes on October 30, 2026.

The course targets Competency-Based Education (CBE) and aims to prepare educators to build tests that gauge what learners can actually do, not merely what they can remember. KNEC says the effort will deepen the pool of skilled question writers while keeping national assessment standards intact.

KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njengere explained that the initiative is meant to sharpen the skills of both serving teachers and teacher educators, whether they assess learners in the classroom or contribute to national tests.

Quality questions sit at the heart of the curriculum shift. Under CBE, an examination item must match the competencies set out in curriculum designs; otherwise results cannot fairly show how far a learner has progressed. Learners are therefore expected to apply knowledge and show practical ability, which calls for a different style of questioning from the recall based tests of the past.

Entry was tightly controlled. Applications closed on September 30, and only teachers currently handling the subject or learning area they applied for, at Senior School or vocational level, were considered. Each candidate needed suitable academic and professional credentials, a minimum of one year in the classroom and registration with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

In addition, applicants had to show integrity, a clean professional record and a firm grasp of the relevant curriculum designs. Their school heads also had to endorse them in writing. Anyone who had already completed KNEC item writing training was left out.

Participants who finish the course will earn certificates. KNEC may later call on them for assessment duties whenever the need arises.