Education is evolving, and institutions of higher learning must be flexible, responsive, and future-oriented.
We need not fear change. Let us allow ourselves to evolve with time. We are in a new dispensation.
Some universities in Kenya are already implementing aspects of Competency-Based Education (CBE), even though they may not openly label it as such.
The reality is that many institutions are already assessing learners beyond traditional pen-and-paper examinations. Our TVETs are many miles ahead of us.
Coming back to university education;
Today, university students are assessed through:
Continuous Assessment Tests (CATs), Presentations, Research projects, Essays and term papers, Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), Practicum and internships, Microteaching, Clinical assessments, Laboratory practicals, Oral examinations, Portfolios, Fieldwork reports, Case studies, Simulations, Group discussions and projects, Demonstrations, Thesis defence, Reflective journals, Capstone projects, Performance-based assessments etc.
Grading in some Universities is pass or fail, meaning a student is expected to showcase competencies in all fronts, not just on summative assessments.
What does this tell us?
It tells us that universities are already moving towards assessing competencies, practical skills, application of knowledge, problem-solving abilities, communication, innovation, and research capacity, etc.
The conversation, therefore, should not merely be whether CBE belongs in universities, but rather:
How do we strengthen and improve assessment approaches while maintaining academic rigour, quality, and integrity?
Perhaps the main challenge at the university level is coordination and harmonisation.
Universities report to the Commission for University Education (CUE), but they also enjoy a level of institutional independence because they develop their own curricula, which are later reviewed and approved by CUE.
The question then becomes:
Who brings universities together to synchronise approaches to competency-based assessment? Again, is it important? Does it add value to their processes?
In basic education, there is already strong coordination through the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), the Ministry of Education, and the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
KNEC has been very deliberate and aggressive in training teachers on assessment approaches.
That is why we now have the Educational Assessment Resource Centre (EARC), including online assessment training modules that support teachers in understanding competency-based assessment practices.
At the university level, however, the coordination structure may not yet be as clear. Should universities handle this individually? Should universities collaborate and support one another? Or should there be a national framework to guide competency-based assessment in higher education? Just asking!
But from where I sit, universities are already practising aspects of CBE, and many have already expanded their models of assessment.
Professor Ciriaka, Dean of Education at the University of Embu, together with other Deans from Schools of Education, started the Education Deans Forum in 2018, whose aim was to align teacher education programmes to Competency-Based Education (CBE).
However, some universities have gone beyond teacher education programmes in curriculum development and staff capacity building. For example, St. Paul’s University has made significant progress in this area.
Indeed, some universities have already covered substantial ground, and therefore, there is no need to worry.
READ ALSO: KNEC to award CBE learners dual certificates after Senior School
As a country, we are more ready than we think.
We should not fear transformation. Competency-Based Education is not a threat to education; it is an opportunity to strengthen relevance, skills, innovation, and learner preparedness for the real world.
I stand guided!!!!!
By Dr Mercy Igoki
Igoki is a Career Coach
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