Strict Compliance: TSC Issues Marching Orders to Principals Over Senior School Assessments
NAIROBI, Kenya — The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has officially tightened the screws on school administrators, ordering “strict compliance” with the new roadmap for Senior School assessments.
In a move that aligns the commission’s human resource power with the Kenya National Examinations Council’s (KNEC) academic mandates, TSC Acting CEO Eveleen Mitei has issued a high-priority circular directed at all Senior School Principals.
The directive demands immediate action on the rollout of Competency-Based Assessments (CBA) for the pioneer Grade 10 cohort.
The Five Pillars of Compliance
The TSC directive isn’t just a suggestion; it’s a detailed checklist that every head of institution must clear to avoid administrative friction.
The Commission has highlighted five critical areas:
1) Assessment Centre Registration: Every Senior School must be formally registered as an assessment centre.
This involves uploading registration certificates to the KNEC portal to generate a Universal Centre Code.
2) The Learner Digital Trail: Principals are responsible for ensuring every Grade 10 student is registered using the unique Assessment Number they have carried since Grade 3.
3) Teacher Capacity Building: No teacher should be “flying blind.”
Principals must ensure their staff undergo the self-paced training on the KNEC CBA portal to master the scoring of projects and practicals.
4) Effective SBA Administration: Schools are expected to put “necessary institutional arrangements” in place to handle School-Based Assessments (SBAs) starting this term.
5) Score Reporting: The days of delayed results are over. The TSC has mandated the prompt uploading and reporting of assessment scores directly to the national portal.
Field Officers on High Alert
This isn’t a task for principals alone. In a significant administrative escalation, Mitei has directed all TSC Regional, County, and Sub-County Directors to hit the ground running.
These officials have been tasked with:
- Sensitizing schools on the technical requirements of the CBA portal.
- Monitoring compliance within their jurisdictions to ensure no school falls behind the May 22nd registration deadline.
“The roll-out of Competency Based Assessments is a critical component in the implementation of Competency Based Education (CBE) in Senior School,” the circular reads.
“All institutions are expected to fully comply… with the urgency and attention it deserves.”
Why This Matters Now
The timing of this circular is no coincidence. As the pioneer CBC class enters the home stretch toward the Kenya Certificate of Basic Education (KCBE), the 30% contribution from School-Based Assessments (SBAs) in Grades 10 and 11 makes the principal’s administrative role more high-stakes than ever.
By linking teacher performance to these assessment timelines, the TSC is making it clear that technical hitches or administrative delays will be viewed as a failure in leadership.
For school heads, the message is loud and clear: The digital transition of the Kenyan classroom is no longer optional.
With the 30% cumulative score beginning in Grade 10, do you think schools are physically and technically equipped to handle these practical and project-based assessments fairly?