By Amoto Ndiewo
Teachers in Garissa and Tana counties have raised concern about Competency Based Assessment (CBA) tests for grades 3, 4 and 5 students which have just been concluded.
The assessment, a brainchild of the new 2-6-3-3-3 Competence Based Curriculum (CBC), does not feature multiple choices.
The tutors lamented that the assessment only favours learners who can read and understand as it rules out guessing.
“The CBA is challenging as compared to 8.4.4 system. It only favours learners who are able to read, write and understand,’’ said Dima Gonfa in Korati primary school in Madogo division in Tana River.
He added that unlike 8.4.4 system where one could guess as there are no multiple choices, if one cannot read or write then the candidate’s goose is as well as cooked.
“Such candidates do not have a way out in guessing,” said Halima Mohamed, the head teacher of Atata Primary School.
“The questions implore the student to think through the questions and provide solutions,’’ said Mohamed Ahmed, a teacher in Garissa Primary School.
He said the current assessment are not direct questions but application. So the learner should be able to read and understand the question then provide a solution.
Mohamed said teachers have to download the assessment from Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) portal and upload the candidates’ responses on the portal at the end of the assessment.
He regrets this uploading and downloading of the CBA has proven to be a challenge to some teachers.
The assessment at the end of grades 3, 4 and 5, are each awarded 20 points and will add up to a total of 60 points at the end of grade 5.
The CBA Assessment ended on 4th February 2022 and class 8 Kenya Certificate of Primary Examination candidates will sit their exams from March 2022.
