Dr. Alice Kande who is the director general at the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA), has praised a new coding standards for education qualifications. The qualifications body has developed new coding standard that will change the mode of coding for education qualifications in the country. This is according to the Director-General, Dr. Alice Kande, speaking while addressing stakeholders in a virtual validation workshop for the Kenya National Qualifications Coding Standard (KNQCS).
Alignment with Strategic National Goals
Dr. Kande noted that the process of policy development was high on the strategic objectives of the KNQA that are based on Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda to make sure that there is the realization of sustained economic growth and development of Kenya. These goals will be realized only if there is a standardized use of coding qualifications to ensure clarity and consistency when describing learning credentials.
Building of Trust and Transparency
“The standardized use of coding qualifications will ensure that qualifications are described and understood uniformly, regardless of the origin of the qualification,” Dr. Kande said. Standardization will be the cornerstone development in ensuring transparency and trust in educational qualifications and will therefore increase student and professional mobility, life-long learning, and international cooperation in education and training.
Broad participation
The workshop had participants from universities, tertiary institutions, professional bodies, and government agencies. He asked such stakeholders to be active aides in the process of aiding the policy, saying that, indeed, the input of such stakeholders was needed to make the coding standard enriched and refined. “Your presence today underlines the importance we collectively place on enhancing the quality and relevance of education and training in our country. We appeal to all stakeholders to share their views and inputs to enrich this policy,” she added.
Current Challenges
In his pronouncements, Dr. Kande, pointed out to the committee that currently, different qualification awarding bodies in Kenya use different qualifications nomenclatures. This he said, had worked against student mobility and portability of qualifications both nationally and internationally. The new standardized coding system is expected to present a clear and consistent framework for describing educational credentials.
A Step Towards Greater Educational Mobility
The above citation initiative of the KNQA is undoubtedly going to be a game changer in Kenya’s education sector. When qualifications coding is standardized, the mobility of learners and professionals in and out of Kenya will be eased. This will open other doors in which its students and professionals may have a comparative edge and collaborate well internationally.