The Kenya National Examinations Council has begun setting up new assessment hubs in senior schools as the country prepares to transition Grade 9 learners to Senior School in January 2026.
The plan marks a major step in easing the roll out of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum at Grade 10 by providing schools with spaces where practical learning and continuous assessment can be carried out more efficiently.
KNEC CEO David Njengere said the hubs are designed to support hands-on training, improve how teachers track learner progress and expand the tools used to measure skills beyond written tests.
He noted that the work builds on existing structures, including 235 Junior School hubs and the Research, Innovation and Educational Assessment Resource Centre.
“Kenya is entering a phase that demands new thinking, new tools and new approaches to evaluating learners’ skills. We are moving towards assessments that value knowledge application, skills demonstration, creativity and real-world performance,” he said.
He explained that the hubs are expected to form the foundation of an education system that is fair, expansive and better aligned with diverse learner abilities.
“By combining practical evaluation, teacher capacity building and innovation platforms, the hubs promise to transform the way learning and assessment are conducted in the country,” he added.
The hubs will support continuous and practical assessment, replacing the old 8-4-4 model where learners waited for end-year or end-cycle exams.
The model considers the strengths of students in the three pathways offered in Senior School: STEM, Social Sciences and Creative and Performing Arts and Sports Science.
“These hubs are not just assessment centres; they are innovation incubators,” Njengere said.
He added that teachers will use new rubrics, embrace project-based learning and increase ICT integration in the classroom.
They will also participate in mentorship sessions to help them gain confidence in assessments linked to each pathway.
The hubs will host practical exams in areas such as robotics, science laboratories, agriculture, music, drama and technical or vocational fields.
Since many schools lack such facilities, the hubs will serve as central points where learners can be assessed under proper conditions.
They will also function as moderation centres to verify and standardise School-Based Assessment scores, ensuring fairness and secure handling of evidence.
Teachers will receive continuous training on CBE assessments to support learners through structured and reliable methods.
To ensure inclusivity, the framework incorporates 30 special schools that offer the Stage-Based Curriculum at the vocational level.
This ensures that students with diverse learning needs—academic, artistic, sporting or technical—receive comparable support.
Njengere noted that although access to education has expanded, gaps remain in the quality of instruction across the country.
With support from the RIEARC centre, the hubs will help close these gaps by using KNEC’s extensive data collected over the years for better planning.
“Teachers, principals and quality assurance officers are encouraged to access these resources immediately,” he said.
During a recent sensitisation workshop, school heads and teachers were trained on how the hubs will operate, how assessments will be registered, how transfers will be handled and how scoring should be conducted.
They were also briefed on community service-learning requirements.
The hubs are expected to bring consistency to school-based assessments while helping schools manage ongoing challenges in marking and scoring.
