The Kenya National Examinations Council has unveiled a free online programme to strengthen the skills of senior school teachers in Competency-Based Assessment.
This initiative comes as schools prepare for the full implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum at the senior school level in 2026, offering a structured and accessible training platform for educators across the country.
The training is hosted on KNEC’s Educational Assessment Resource Centre portal, available to teachers at no charge. To join, participants need to visit https://cbalms.knec.ac.ke/, complete a registration form on the homepage, access the Course Catalogue under My Courses, choose the senior school course, and click the Subscribe button to start.
Designed to be self-paced, the programme follows a step-by-step sequence, requiring teachers to finish one unit before moving to the next. KNEC says this approach ensures that teachers build a strong foundation in all aspects of CBA, equipping them to conduct assessments effectively and consistently.
This free training is part of KNEC’s broader strategy to boost teacher capacity and support the nationwide rollout of CBC. It addresses a critical skills gap by providing practical knowledge on assessment techniques, marking standards, and digital tools, helping educators to deliver quality learning outcomes.
School administrators and teachers can take advantage of this cost-free programme to prepare for the upcoming senior school phase. By November 2025, only 52,452 teachers had undergone CBA retraining, far below the projected requirement.
The Teachers Service Commission has highlighted a shortage of 25,839 senior school teachers, further underlining the need for targeted capacity building.
The online training follows the CBA framework and is tailored to the three senior school pathways: STEM, Social Sciences, and Creative & Performing Arts and Sports Science.
The course content includes assessment design and planning, item writing, test development, rubric creation, moderation, portfolio management, psychometrics, quality assurance, and the use of digital assessment tools.
Teachers learn how to align assessments with CBC learning outcomes, develop consistent rubrics, manage continuous assessment portfolios, and maintain reliability and fairness in marking.
They also gain skills in using Learning Management Systems for tracking and feedback. The comprehensive programme equips educators with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills, ensuring schools are ready for a smooth transition to senior school CBC by 2026.
