Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has appointed a 16-member team tasked with the revision of the Kenya Credit Accumulation and Transfer (KCAT) system policy in the country, a major step aimed at enhancing Kenya’s educational landscape.
This move comes as a pivotal step for the implementation of the recommendations outlined by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform (PWPER), which highlighted the critical role of Credit Accumulation and Transfer Systems (CATS) in Kenya’s educational reform agenda.
The authority to facilitate linkages, credit transfers, exemptions, and both vertical and horizontal mobility at all levels of learning, enabling entry, re-entry, and exit, is mandated by Section 8(1) (l) of the Kenya National Qualifications Framework (KNQF) Act No. 22 of 2014, entrusted to the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA).
In alignment with these objectives and after extensive consultation with stakeholders, the KNQA had previously developed the Kenya Credit Accumulation and Transfer (KCAT) system policy as a vital tool for lifelong learning.
Mr Machogu, in his letter dated September 17, 2023, stressed the necessity to revise and realign the policy with the changing landscape, driven by the new National Economic Agenda, the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), as well as input from various stakeholders and the evolving occupational landscape.
The Adhoc Committee established to review the KCAT system policy is expected to perform several critical functions, including policy evaluation, the development of KCAT system standards and guidelines, and any other activities related to these functions.
The committee comprises experts drawn from various institutions, including the KNQA, Directorate of Quality Assurance, Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA), University of Embu, University of Nairobi, National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), Egerton University, International Labour Organization (ILO) among others.
Alice Kande, the Acting Director General of KNQA, welcomed the appointment, highlighting the importance of this process in promoting lifelong learning.
Dr Kande pointed out that there is a 49 percent cap on the progression to another level under KCATS. The agency is committed to working with other educational institutions to prepare them for the implementation of the CATS system once approved.
Credit accumulation involves the aggregation of credits needed to complete qualifications, often within defined programmes, which can be institution-specific, across different organisations, or between various qualification levels.
Credit transfer involves the movement of specific credits vertically, diagonally, or horizontally towards a qualification or partial qualification at the same or a higher level, whether it is within related or similar programmes, qualifications, or instructions.
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