Kenya's Competency-Based Education: equipping schools for practical learning

Kenya's move to Competency-Based Education is one of the largest curriculum reforms on the continent. Junior School (Grades 7 to 9) is hosted mostly in comprehensive primary schools, and Senior School pathways begin at Grade 10, including a STEM pathway.

Implementation pressures

• Many comprehensive schools lack science laboratories.
• Teachers need support to deliver practical, competency-based science.
• Senior schools must demonstrate capacity to offer the STEM pathway.
• Assessment requires evidence of skills, not just knowledge.

How virtual labs support CBE

• Access: practical science in schools without labs, using computer rooms and shared devices.
• Competencies: critical thinking, problem solving, digital literacy and collaboration in every lab activity.
• Assessment evidence: results, screenshots and reports for school-based assessment and portfolios.
• Teacher support: ready-made experiments that teachers can adapt.

Roles for county governments

Counties can support Junior School implementation by coordinating devices, connectivity and teacher training across clusters of schools, and by establishing STEM centres for hands-on work.

A phased approach

1. Pilot in selected sub-counties, with a baseline and evaluation.
2. Train teacher champions in each cluster.
3. Expand using lessons from the pilot.

Local presence

VR Labs Africa runs an IoT Lab at Ramco Courts, South C, Nairobi, where learners and teachers can work with real sensors and devices alongside the virtual labs.

Book a demo to discuss a county or national pilot.