By Eddah Waithaka
Thousands of Kenyan students are embarking on a pivotal moment in the nation’s education journey as they begin a series of national Competency-Based Assessments (CBA).
This exam period marks a critical test for the country’s shift away from a purely academic focus toward a skills-based model.
Grade 6 learners are sitting for the final Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), while Grade 9 students are tackling the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA).
Concurrently, Grade 3 pupils are preparing for writing assessments, and Grades 4 and 5 are continuing with their continuous assessments across eight subjects.
This moment underscores a significant milestone in Kenya’s ambitious Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), a system designed to equip students with practical, future-ready skills.
However, the rollout of this transformative model faces stark realities on the ground.Bridging the Gap with Essential ToolsIn many public schools, students contend with limited access to basic learning materials like textbooks and stationery.
These resource gaps threaten to undermine the core goals of the education reform, making private sector collaboration essential.Addressing this need head-on, BIC East Africa is bridging a critical resource gap.
The company’s flagship “Buy Me and BIC Will Donate a Pen” initiative operates on a simple, powerful premise: for every pen a consumer purchases, BIC donates another to a student in need.
This year alone, the program enabled the distribution of 150,000 pens to learners in under-resourced schools across Nairobi, Machakos, Kiambu, and Kajiado counties.
The initiative ensures that students have the fundamental tools required to fully participate in their learning and sit for their crucial exams without hindrance.
“For a student preparing for these pivotal exams, something as simple as having a reliable pen can be the difference between stress and success,” said a representative from BIC. “By removing these basic barriers, we help learners focus on unlocking their full potential.”
Planting Seeds for a Sustainable FutureBIC’s commitment extends beyond providing immediate resources. Through its Environmental Legacy Initiative, the company is investing in the long-term sustainability of schools.
It has partnered with institutions across the country to plant 22 fruit orchards, comprising 1,650 trees, including a significant project at Mathare North Primary School in Kasarani.
These orchards function as income-generating assets, not just symbolic gestures. Each has the potential to generate KES 6.6 million annually, empowering schools to fund their own operations and improve facilities.
The project also creates green jobs and bolsters climate resilience, sequestering an estimated 41.25 tons of carbon dioxide every year.These efforts form part of BIC’s global ambition to improve learning conditions for 250 million students by 2025.
Its sustainability program, “Writing the Future Together,” has already benefited over 200 million learners worldwide.
As Kenya lays the foundation for a new generation of skilled citizens through the CBC framework, partnerships like these demonstrate the powerful role the private sector can play in building an educational ecosystem that is not only accessible, but equitable and sustainable for the long term.
