KNEC Sets Deadline for National Exam Projects in 2025

The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) has released projects and performance tasks in preparation for the national exams scheduled for late 2025.

In a notice issued on May 12, 2025, KNEC stated that these tasks are aimed at students in Grades 3, 7, and 8. Additionally, learners eligible for the 2025 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) will also be required to complete their projects.

“The projects and performance tasks for Grades 3, 7, and 8, as well as the stage-based pathway and KJSEA, have been uploaded to the Competency Based Assessment (CBA) portal (https://cba.knec.ac.ke) for schools to access,” the notice indicated.

Instructions
Schools are responsible for administering the projects and performance tasks, and must upload the scores for all students to the CBA portal within the specified deadlines.

According to KNEC, teachers will evaluate students as they complete the tasks and will use the provided guidelines to score them.

Furthermore, headteachers are required to maintain all records and evidence generated from these assessments.

Deadlines
For students following the stage-based pathway, project submissions are due by July 31, 2025.

Students working on KJSEA projects have until August 30, 2025, to ensure their scores are uploaded to the portal, as specified by KNEC.

“Schools are expected to administer the projects and performance tasks and upload scores for all learners to the portal by the following deadlines: Grades 3, 7, and 8, and stage-based pathway by July 31, 2025, and KJSEA projects by August 30, 2025.”

Failure to upload project scores by the deadlines will incur a penalty of Ksh 500 per candidate.

“KNEC emphasized that a fine of Ksh 500 per candidate will be applied for any KJSEA project uploads made after the designated date.”

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

MOE.HQs/3/10/1/Vol.1V

August 8, 2025

TO

ALL REGIONAL DIRECTORS OF EDUCATION
ALL COUNTY DIRECTORS OF EDUCATION
ALL SUB-COUNTY DIRECTORS OF EDUCATION

RE: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMPETENCY BASED CURRICULUM (CBC) AT SENIOR SCHOOL

As you are aware, the first cohort of the Competency Based Education learners are expected to join Senior School in January 2026.

Senior School is the fourth (4^th) level of Basic Education in the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) coming after the Pre-Primary School (PPI and PP2), Primary School (Grades 1 to 6) and Junior School (Grades 7 to 9) levels.

The subjects at Senior School are classified according to three pathways namely:- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Arts and Sports Science and Social Science.

The essence of Senior School is to offer learners a pre-tertiary/ pre-university/ pre-career experience during which the learners have an opportunity to choose subjects from the pathways where they shall have demonstrated interest and/or potential at the earlier levels.

Senior School (Grades 10 to 12) comprises three years of education for learners generally in the age bracket of Fifteen (15) to Seventeen (17) years, with the learners completing this level expected to demonstrate the CBC vision of being engaged, empowered and ethical citizens ready to participate in the socio-economic development of the nation or proceed to further education.

At this level, learners shall take Seven (7) subjects as recommended by the Presidential Working Party on Educational Reforms (PWPER, 2023).

These shall comprise of four compulsory subjects namely:

• English,
• Kiswahili,
• Core Mathematics / Essential Mathematics
• Community Service Learning (CSL)

For clarity, all the learners shall take English, Kiswahili and Community Service Learning (CSC).

Learners pursuing the STEM pathway shall take Core Mathematics while those who shall have chosen any of the other two pathways will take Essential Mathematics.

If a learner who is not pursuing the STEM pathway opts to take Core Mathematics, they should be allowed to do so depending on their Junior School assessment results.

In addition to the compulsory learning areas, the learner will select three more subjects.

It is advised that a learner takes at least two subjects from the chosen pathway.

This means that a learner may take up to three more subjects from the chosen pathway or take two subjects from the chosen pathway and one subject from another pathway.

However, it should be anticipated that a situation may arise where a learner’s career choice requires that they take one subject in each pathway. Such a situation should he permitted.

The choices of subjects shall be guided by the learner’s anticipated career, aptitude, interest and personality with guidance by the leadership of the Senior School.

Table 1 below provides a list of all the subjects on offer at Senior School under the CBC, for which curriculum designs have been developed by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).

Table 1: List of subjects at Senior School Grades 10, 11 and 12.

Note:

a) Physical Education (PE) and Information Communication and Technology (ICT) will be offered to all learners to facilitate learning and acquisition of life skills.

b) Every school shall offer Pastoral/Religious Programme of Instruction (P/RPI) to enhance moral, spiritual and character development of the learners.

NO school should force learners to participate in religious rites and activities that are contrary to their beliefs as per Circular Ref No: MOE.HQs/3/10/18 dated 4^th March, 2022.

c ) Table 2, below provides guidelines on distribution of lessons at Senior School.

Table 2. Lesson distribution at senior school

You are required to bring this information to the attention of all Quality Assurance & Standards Officers and Principals of Senior schools within your area of jurisdiction and, ensure this directive is implemented.

By a copy of this circular, the Departments of TVET and Higher Education are requested to review and align their courses in preparation for the first cohort of CBE students who are expected to join tertiary education in the year 2029.

PROF. AMB. JULIUS BITOK, CBS
PRINCIPAL SECRETARY