Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ezekiel Machogu has appointed a 16-member team to review Kenya Credit Accumulation and Transfer (KCAT) system policy in Kenya.
In a statement on Wednesday, October 25, Machogu announced the appointment which now sets stage for implementation of recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform (PWPER).
“Following a shift to a new National Economic Agenda – the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), recommendations from stakeholders and the emerging changes in Occupations there is need to revise and re-align the policy to make it responsive to the emerging changes,” reads the appointment letter.
In its report, PWPER identified KCAT as an important aspect of education reforms that need to be implemented.
The Committee on Review the KCAT system policy is expected to review the Policy; develop KCAT system standards and guidelines and perform any other function that is incidental to the performance of the above stated functions.
CS Machogu Role in Implementing KCAT
Further, Machogu’s appointment comes a week after the National Assembly called on the Ministry of Education to speed up implementation of the presidential working party on education reforms.
In a report presented to President William Ruto, the Prof Raphael Munavu team also wants more awareness creation on Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Credit Accumulation and Transfer Systems.
“We recommend the development of a framework for linkages among TVETs to remove duplications and create centres of excellence based on niche,” reads the report that the President has directed its immediate implementation.
PWPER already reviewed the RPL policy and submitted it to the Education Ministry for consideration.
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KNQA Take
Moreover, Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) Director General Dr Alice Kande welcomed the appointment noting that the team is now ready to start the exercise.
“This is a very critical process that we are determined to complete on time as it will go a long way in promoting long life learning.
There is a 49 per cent that is capped on what should be considered for progression to another level under KCATS,” said Dr Kande.
Additionally, Dr Kande said that the agency will continue to work with other institutions to prepare them on how to implement the CATS system once approved.
The experts are drawn from; KNQA, Directorate of Quality Assurance, Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA), University of Embu, University of Nairobi, and the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA).
Others were picked from Egerton University, International Labor Organization (ILO), Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), Human Resource Management Professionals Examination Board (HRMPEB), Commission for University Education (CUE), Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), Technical and Vocational Education and Training Curriculum Development, Assessment and Certification Council (TVET CDACC) and Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
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About Credit Accumulation and Transfer
Credit accumulation involves aggregating the credits required to complete a qualification or part qualification, often within defined programmes, which can be institution-specific, across different institutions, or between various qualification levels.
Equally, credit transfer entails the movement of specific credits vertically, diagonally, or horizontally towards a qualification or partial qualification at the same or a higher level.
This transfer is between related or similar programmes, qualifications, and instructions.
“The growing demand for mobility, both in terms of intellectual pursuits and the labor force, underscores the pressing need to address the compatibility, comparability, and transferability of qualifications and competencies, both within national boundaries and across borders,” said Dr Kande.
In addition, the Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CAT) system has emerged as an indispensable tool for quantifying and validating qualifications.
This is in alignment with ongoing initiatives for regional and continental education and training harmonization, supported by UNESCO’s Addis Convention on the recognition of degrees and certificates (2014).
