KNEC TO LAUNCH A NEW TRAINING CENTER

The Kenya National Examination Council(KNEC) is set to launch a new national centre, the Educational Assessment Resource Centre(EARC) aimed at equipping teachers and parents with skills in modern educational assessment. According to KNEC the Resource Centre will be launched by the Basic Education Principal Secretary Prof.Julius Bitok at the council’s headquarters at New Mitihani House in Nairobi’s South C, with several Chief Executive Officers from examination boards in the East Africa region and representatives of KNEC’s international partners British Council, National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and UK’s Department for International Development also attending the launch.

The EARC will offer hands on training in a variety of areas including competency based assessments, test construction, psychometrics, data analysis, standardized marketing, quality assurance, and the use of digital tools in testing. According to KNEC, all training will be practical in nature, giving participants the opportunity to work with real assessment data and simulate real life testing situations. The centre which will be officially unveiled today, is expected to transform how assessments are developed, administered, and interpreted in schools.

By, bridging the gap between theory and practice, the EARC will empower educators to apply assessment techniques effectively in everyday classroom settings. Participants will not only attend lectures but also engage with anonymized learner scripts, real assessment datasets, and simulation tools. The training will be delivered in modular formats, allowing for progressive learning from foundational assessment principles to advanced competencies like psychometric analysis, digital test design, and quality assurance methods.

The program will also incorporate peer collaboration, case studies, and role playing activities, such as simulated marking and moderation sessions. Sessions will be facilitated by KNEC specialists and external experts, including psychometricians, curriculum developers, and data analysts. Trainees will also gain experience using modern assessment tools such as item banking software, AI-powered scoring systems, and digital dashboards for tracking learner progress.