All systems go for national exams as KNEC launches centre

Structures for the country's this year's national examinations are in place, the government says.

The Ministry of Education has announced that funding for the exams for learners in Grade 6, Grade 9, and Form Four has already been given to the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC)

At the same time, the ministry said KNEC will now offer digital verification of academic certificates, starting with a pilot phase involving the Public Service Commission.

Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said yesterday the government had allocated all the necessary resources to ensure credible and smooth administration of the exams set for later this year.

The three tests are the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), and the inaugural Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA).

"We are all set, and I want to confirm and assure the country that we are ready and set to ensure that we deliver a credible exam for this country," Bitok said during the launch of the Educational Assessment Resource Centre (EARC) in Nairobi.

The resource centre, based at the KNEC headquarters, will provide an opportunity for teachers, parents and other stakeholders to train on modern educational assessments.

KNEC's Chief Executive Officer David Njengere said the centre will provide training on competency-based assessments, test construction, psychometrics and data analysis, standardised marking, quality assurance, and the use of digital tools in testing.

The Standard has established that 996,000 candidates are registered for this year's KCSE examination while 1.2 million candidates will sit KPSEA.

According to the examination timetable released by KNEC, the KJSEA theory test is scheduled from October 27 to November 5, 2025, the first junior school final assessment for Grade 9 learners under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

The exam will partly determine placement in senior school for over one million students.

For KCSE, the examination body has scheduled the main test to run between October 27 and November 21, 2025.

At the same event, Prof Bitok also announced a major step forward in digital transformation: the digitisation of certificate verification services by KNEC.

Bitok said that, starting with a pilot phase targeting the Public Service Commission (PSC), public servants and, eventually, those in the private sector, will now be able to verify their academic documents remotely through an online platform.

"If you want to verify your certificate from wherever you are, you can just get into a digital platform and confirm. We are starting with the Public Service Commission and will roll out to the rest of the public and private sector," he said.

The PS said the resource centre will play a critical part in the implementation of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.

He noted that CBE, rebranded from CBC, moves beyond curriculum to embrace a holistic system incorporating pedagogy, infrastructure, teacher training, assessment, co-curricular activities and learner creativity.

"This centre is not just for Kenya, it is regional. It will bring in people from across the region to learn the latest in educational assessment. It is a game-changer," Bitok said.

The centre, which will deliver training both physically and online, is expected to boost capacity building for teachers and other education practitioners.

It will also serve as a hub for innovations in digital assessments, test development, psychometrics, and data analytics.

"We are moving away from cramming and rote learning. With this centre, teachers will gain the tools to implement a more inclusive and skills-oriented education system," added the CS.

He urged all stakeholders, teachers, heads of schools, and parents, to embrace the centre and take advantage of its online training options.