The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has officially launched the Educational Assessment Resource Centre (EARC), a key national facility aimed at training teachers, examiners, and education stakeholders in designing, administering, and interpreting competency-based assessments (CBA) within the framework of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
This effort is part of wider education reforms designed to address disparities in classroom assessments, enhance grading transparency, and improve learner outcomes by emphasising practical skills and core values.
Located at New Mitihani House in Nairobi’s South C, the facility is Kenya’s first of its kind and aims to revolutionise assessment methods from Grade 1 to Junior Secondary School. KNEC intends to reframe assessment as a learning support tool, moving beyond its traditional role of simply awarding marks.
The launch was presided over by Prof. Julius Jwan, Principal Secretary in the State Department for Basic Education, alongside Dr. David Njeng’ere, Chief Executive Officer of KNEC. The event brought together top education officials, curriculum experts, school leaders, county directors of education, representatives from teacher training institutions, and international partners such as the British Council, the National Foundation for Educational Research (UK), and DFID.
In his remarks, Prof. Jwan stated:
“There has been a lot of misinformation around CBC assessments. This centre will not only build teacher capacity, but it will also restore confidence among learners, parents, and the public. Assessment is not just about results — it is about building competence, equity, and a fair chance for every child.”
Dr. Njeng’ere, while addressing attendees, described the facility as an urgent response to systemic challenges:
“For far too long, the country has relied on examinations as an end in themselves. This centre is our opportunity to reposition assessment as a guide — a tool to help learners improve, not one to label or punish them.”
The centre was launched in early July 2025, and training activities began immediately. KNEC confirmed that more than 3,000 teachers are expected to undergo training in the first rollout phase, with priority given to those teaching in Junior Secondary Schools, where CBA is being implemented at a national level.
The launch comes months ahead of the first Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), scheduled to take place in late 2025. The KJSEA is a high-stakes, school-based national assessment for Grade 9 learners transitioning to Senior School under the CBC system.
The facility includes a range of purpose-built training and demonstration spaces, including digital assessment simulation labs, item development studios, AI-supported marking stations, and secure digital dashboards that display anonymised national performance data.
Dr. Njeng’ere highlighted the value of these facilities:
“Teachers will now interact with real exam data, practice item writing, and simulate how assessments work in real-time. This is not theory — it’s practical, and it’s transformative.”
The transition to CBC has brought new expectations in learner assessment, focusing more on practical skills, values, and attitudes rather than rote memorisation. However, KNEC noted significant inconsistencies in how schools were implementing and conducting assessments. Some teachers were said to lack the necessary tools, while others continued to use outdated marking schemes that did not align with CBC standards.
A recent internal audit by KNEC uncovered gaps in teachers’ understanding of essential CBC concepts, including performance level descriptors, formative feedback, rubrics, and school-based moderation. Parents also reported difficulties in interpreting progress reports and learner profiles.
Dr. Njeng’ere noted:
“When parents come to us with questions like, ‘What does 70% mean under CBC?’ or ‘Why didn’t my child get ranked?’ — that tells us we need to do better in communication and training.”
The centre offers a layered, role-specific training model for different stakeholders in the education sector.
Teachers are enrolled in five-day practical workshops where they learn to construct assessment tasks, develop CBC rubrics, mark learner work, and analyse feedback. They engage in hands-on sessions that include script moderation, scoring exercises, and the use of digital tools such as AI marking assistants and data dashboards.
For headteachers, deputy principals, and curriculum coordinators, the centre offers leadership-focused sessions on managing school-wide assessment processes, using performance data to inform instruction, and overseeing internal quality assurance mechanisms.
The centre also hosts half-day sensitisation forums for parents and guardians, designed to explain how CBC assessments work, how to interpret learner reports, and how to support children’s learning at home without exam pressure. Participants are shown how rubrics are constructed, how performance levels are defined, and how CBC aims to nurture individual learner potential.
All participants receive nationally certified credentials from KNEC, with courses delivered through both in-person and virtual formats to accommodate participants from across the country. Plans are underway to expand the model to satellite centres in Kisumu, Mombasa, and Eldoret, and to develop an Assessment Learning Portal where teachers can access digital resources, past tasks, scoring rubrics, and performance benchmarks.
The launch of the Educational Assessment Resource Centre signals a new chapter in Kenya’s education reform journey. It reflects a growing understanding that the success of CBC depends not just on curriculum documents or classroom delivery, but on how learning is measured, supported, and understood.
By establishing a national hub for building assessment skills, KNEC is ensuring that teachers and education leaders are not left behind. The EARC offers them the tools to become agents of change — professionals who don’t just administer exams but use assessments to unlock learner potential.
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