Universities urged to prepare for competency-based learners

Kenyan universities have been urged to transform teaching, assessment and industry partnerships ahead of the expected arrival of more than 1.13 million learners from the pioneer Competency-Based Education (CBE) cohort in 2029.

KCA University Vice Chancellor Prof. Isaiah I.C. Wakindiki, speaking at an inaugural lecture in Nairobi on Wednesday, said institutions have three years to prepare for students who will have been taught under a system focused on what learners can do rather than what they know.

“If competency is to become the organising principle of Kenyan higher education, someone must do the hard intellectual work of showing how,” Prof. Wakindiki said,

Prof. Anne Syomwene Kisilu, Dean of the School of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, proposed a Competency Transformation Model covering curriculum, teaching, assessment, faculty development and industry engagement.

She called for a shift from recall-based examinations to performance-based assessments using projects, portfolios, case studies and simulations.

Prof. Kisilu also urged universities to invest in laboratories, innovation hubs, simulation facilities and internships, while continuously retraining lecturers and involving employers in curriculum development and assessment.

Prof. Wakindiki cautioned that infrastructure and technology alone do not define a university, saying scholarly excellence remains central to institutional quality.