Framework to guide transition to CBC in universities to be ready by end of year

Secretary for Higher Education and Research Carol Hunja is taking through a new innovation during an event on March 20, 2026. /SCREENGRAB

A comprehensive framework to guide the transition to Competency-Based Education in universities is being developed as institutions of higher learning prepare to receive the first cohort of the new curriculum in 2029.

The pioneer cohort of CBE has transitioned to senior school this year and is expected to join universities and TVET institutions after sitting the inaugural Kenya Certificate of Basic Education (KCBE) in 2028, marking the end of senior school and entry into tertiary education.

However, with the timeline drawing closer, Kenyan universities are generally considered not yet fully prepared for the CBE transition.

While some institutions are initiating reforms, many are facing significant gaps in infrastructure, curriculum reform and lecturer training, demanding urgent action to prepare for CBE-trained learners.

Speaking on Friday, Secretary for Higher Education and Research Carol Hunja said the framework that will guide universities toward a seamless transition is currently in the works.

She said the ministry, in collaboration with the Commission for University Education (CUE), is working on a more regulated approach to ensure lecturers are equipped with the right skills that align with the competency-based education system.

"We are currently working on a University Competency-Based Education Framework that is going to guide every step of the way in terms of programme development, retooling our lecturers and guiding them so that even as we prepare for 2029, we will already have identified the gaps," she said.

Universities are in the process of reviewing and aligning their courses with the new CBE framework to ensure relevance to the skills developed in high school, but a Sh223 billion funding gap is challenging the capacity of most public institutions to meet these requirements.

Most academic staff require training to move from teaching theory to fostering specific skills but many universities lack the specialised equipment, laboratories and modern facilities needed for competency-based learning.

However, the Commission for University Education is pressuring institutions to speed up preparations to avoid a crisis by 2029.

Amid the financial challenges, Hunja said progress on the framework is at an advanced stage.

"This framework, we are looking at it being ready before the end of this year. We already have people working on it because it's quite some bit of work, because we want our universities to grow so that the kind of students we are producing are quality students that can work globally."