Digitizing Learning and Tracking Student Progress Over Time
Kenya's Competency-Based Education (CBE) system, introduced in 2017 by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), represents a bold shift from the traditional 8-4-4 system. This new approach is designed to foster holistic learners who are academically capable and equipped with practical life skills, including digital literacy, problem-solving, creativity, and citizenship.
This foundational guide outlines how the CBE system is structured, its key features, subject offerings, and how learners progress and specialize over time—vital knowledge for any effort aimed at digitizing CBE and tracking individual learning journeys.
The CBE system spans 17 years of formal education, structured as follows:
| Stage | Grades | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Early Years Education | Pre-Primary 1–2 | 2 years |
| Lower Primary | Grades 1–3 | 3 years |
| Upper Primary | Grades 4–6 | 3 years |
| Junior Secondary | Grades 7–9 | 3 years |
| Senior Secondary | Grades 10–12 | 3 years |
The system revolves around seven core competencies, including communication, self-efficacy, critical thinking, and digital literacy. These are evaluated through both teacher-led assessments and national exams.
By Grade 9, 40% of a student's score is based on continuous school-based evaluations, while the remaining 60% comes from national assessments.
From Grade 9, students choose from three broad Senior Secondary School pathways based on their interests and strengths:
Learning emphasizes practical application and engagement over rote memorization, promoting critical thinking, teamwork, and creativity.
This stage introduces core and optional subjects to help learners discover their aptitudes.
Learners follow a chosen pathway from Grade 10 based on interests and performance:
Ideal for students aiming for university education in fields like science, law, or humanities.
Core Subjects:
Elective Clusters:
Tailored for learners with talents in visual arts, performance, or athletics.
Core Subjects:
Electives:
Focused on preparing students for TVET, entrepreneurship, or the job market.
Core Subjects:
Electives:
| Grade | Action |
|---|---|
| Grade 9 | Career guidance and interest profiling help learners select a preferred pathway. |
| Grades 10–12 | Learners follow their pathway and are evaluated in both formative and summative assessments. |
To modernize and streamline the CBE learning experience, our platform aims to:
By aligning with the structure and goals of CBE, opur solution has the potential to revolutionize how education outcomes are tracked and personalized in Kenya.
Kenya's Competency-Based Education is not just a curriculum reform—it's a transformation of the entire learning experience. With its focus on skills, interests, and real-life application, CBE offers learners a more inclusive and empowering journey. By digitizing and tracking this journey, our platform stands to enhance the system's effectiveness, foster personalized learning, and support better education outcomes nationwide.