CBC facing many challenges
Grade 3 pupils at Turi Sulgwita Primary School, Nakuru County, during a practical lesson.
The assessment of learners in the competency-based curriculum (CBC) faces obstacles even as the pioneer class prepares for their final test in 11 months.
Equally worrying is lack of adequate funding to effectively administer the assessments, according to the Kenya National Examinations Council 2021-2026 Strategic Plan which was launched last week.
It notes that there is a lack of understanding of the new model of assessment among key stakeholders. These include parents and teachers who have been used to traditional examinations that grade and rank learners, which has been replaced with descriptive assessment of learning.
“The paradigm shift from summative to formative assessment has not been fully conceptualised by the public. The key stakeholders are yet to appreciate the requirements of competency-based assessment (CBA). Lack of adequate information may cause the public to interfere with the implementation of CBA irrespective of the preparations that have been done by the council,” the document reads.
Over the years, examinations have become a high stakes affair as they are used for placement in secondary schools and tertiary institutions of learning.
However, under the CBA, learners will be continuously assessed by their teachers through tools like class projects, assignments, portfolios, oral tests and computer-based assessment. Scores from the various assessments are uploaded on the Knec portal where a learner’s achievement will be the cumulative total instead of a one-off examination.
The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) which has been issued to primary school leavers will also be phased out and learners will instead be issued with a transition report.
The strategic plan proposes that the Knec conducts adequate capacity building and sensitisation of the stakeholders on the respective roles in the implementation of the CBA. It also plans to ensure that “CBA is covered in the legal framework of Knec and other legal instruments”.
There is already a case filed in court by a parent, Esther Ang’awa, that seeks to stop the implementation of the CBC, questioning its legality and lack of public participation, among other reasons.
The strategic plan gives a ‘medium risk’ rating for changes to legal and regulatory framework and assessment standards.
“In the recent past, there have been some changes in the assessment standards. Knec might be unable to respond to these changes timely, hence risking non-compliance,” it notes.
A task force that was appointed to come up with recommendations for the implementation of the CBC proposed that the Kenya National Examinations Act (2012) be amended to accommodate the various changes it recommended.
“Knec to review the Knec Act (2012) and all regulations to align with the curriculum reforms including renaming of assessments to be administered under competency-based assessment,” the task force report reads.
According to the strategic plan, Knec requires Sh50.7 billion to carry-out its planned activities in the five years. However, the council revenue allocation from the government is Sh44.1 billion. This will force it to seek funding from other sources.
“This gap will be bridged by seeking partnerships with development partners and by implementing resource mobilisation strategies,” the document reads. It, however, notes that the council will have to better manage relationships with key stakeholders as it has lost many of them in the recent past.
Some of these include teachers who mark examinations who have recently been complaining about payment for their services and at times staging go-slows during the marking exercises. Knec also relies on other stakeholders like security officers during the administration of examinations.
Knec plans to invest Sh2.7 billion to develop infrastructure for security and integrity of its services and Sh865 million for digital infrastructure and services. It plans to procure and install cyber security surveillance tools and upgrade the current ICT systems to allow integration.
“With full roll out of CBA, Knec will be transitioning into digitised and automated business platforms that are exposed to data breach and cyber risks. The current ICT infrastructure will not be able to meet the requirements of CBA,” the council says.
Another high risk factor flagged is an increase in examinations malpractice. Although stern measures were implemented in 2016 to stamp out runaway examination cheating, the last two years have witnessed an increase in malpractices.
