Title: Competency-Based Curriculum Assessment: Old Wine in New Bottles? A Comparative Analysis of East Africa
Authors: Dr. Twinomujuni Rosebell
Asiimwe Isaac Kazaara
Ahumuza Audrey
Volume: 10
Issue: 6
Pages: 244-252
Publication Date: 2026/06/28
Abstract:
The fundamental paradigm shift from traditional teacher-centered, exam-oriented educational systems to learner-centered, competency-based framework arrangements represents one of the most sweeping and ambitious institutional reforms undertaken across the East African region since the dawn of the independence era. This comprehensive comparative study critically evaluated the operational efficacy, structural alignment, and grassroots implementation fidelity of Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) assessment frameworks across primary and secondary educational landscapes in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Utilizing a robust, concurrent exploratory mixed-methods research design, the study successfully gathered and analyzed extensive quantitative and qualitative cross-sectional data from a multi-stage stratified representative sample of N = 1,200 educators, institutional managers, and pedagogical specialists. The rigorous analytical methodology incorporated complex univariate distributions, cross-tabulated bivariate chi-square determinations of institutional alignment, and advanced multivariable logistic regression modeling to compute adjusted odds ratios for the structural, professional, and regional predictors governing authentic CBC assessment practices. The empirical results convincingly revealed deep, entrenched regional systemic variances: while Kenya demonstrated advanced procedural progress in establishing digital continuous assessment infrastructures, it remained profoundly bottlenecked by unsustainable classroom sizes and pervasive pedagogical burnout. Concurrently, Uganda and Tanzania exhibited significant transitional drag, with massive pluralities of educators operating under 'hybridized' assessment modes where traditional rote-memorization evaluation mechanics were merely repackaged under modern competency-oriented nomenclatures-a phenomenon perfectly epitomizing the metaphorical construct of 'old wine in new bottles.' The multivariable logistic regression model isolated teacher capacity building as the single most powerful predictor of success, indicating that teachers who underwent comprehensive, structurally sustained training were over four times more likely to execute authentic, formative performance-based evaluations rather than traditional high-stakes testing regimes (AOR = 4.12; 95% CI: [2.88, 5.88]; p < 0.001). Furthermore, severe disparities between high-resource private institutions and drastically underfunded rural public schools highlighted an alarming equity gap, wherein modern portfolio-driven assessment metrics are rendered unfeasible due to extreme resource deficiencies and excessive teacher-to-learner ratios exceeding 1:65. Based on these systemic findings, the study concludes that without radical upward adjustments in basic structural funding, standardized regional training protocols, and localized materials, the progressive ideals of CBC will remain subverted by old examination paradigms. The study recommends the immediate establishment of an East African Curricular Harmonization Council to standardize diagnostic metrics, the deployment of a mandatory fiscal allocation equal to 6% of national GDP for basic educational infrastructure, and the comprehensive institutionalization of localized, low-cost formative portfolio assessment kits to bridge the deep public-private equity divide.