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The government has asked training institutions across the country to register their qualifications with the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) warning that going forward no certificate will be conferred without prior registration.

TVET Principal Secretary Dr Esther Muoria said the directive would be implemented through Policy Framework for the Accreditation system on Qualifications, which will provide framework on the registration.

“With the establishment of the Kenya National Learners Records Database, the accreditation system will govern the registration process for awarding institutions and their qualifications and establish a comprehensive database of national qualifications to combat fraudulent certifications,” she said.

The PS made the remarks during a workshop to develop standards and guidelines for the national policy framework for accreditation of qualifications held in Machakos. KNQA has so far registered more than 30 institutions of higher learning among them universities that have on-boarded their qualifications into the Kenya National Learners Record Database (KNLRD), which is under the management of the Authority with a target of about 6,000 learners.

On-boarding of the qualifications aims to ensure that the menace of fake and fraudulent qualifications is eliminated in the country as institutions can only on-board their qualifications into the system once they have been registered as Qualification Awarding Institutions (QAIs) by the Authority.

Sub-sector support

The PS lauded the support of sub-sector regulators in the education sector, TVET Authority and Commission for University Education (CUE) for supporting the initiative.

“Accreditation and Registration of qualifications are fundamental pillars in any education system that seeks to be robust, inclusive and responsive to the demands of an ever-evolving world,” emphasised the PS, adding that a strong qualifications framework is only as good as its standards and guidelines.

KNQA Director General Dr Alice Kande revealed that the Authority is working with all stakeholders to ensure that we have the right qualifications in the country and required skills in the labour market.

“We have seen a lot of responses from various stakeholders and hope more will on-board the system. Universities have shown great interest to register their qualifications in the portal as QAIs,” said Dr Kande.

The Authority, she added, has stepped up awareness-creation initiatives on the importance of registering qualifications in the system.

The KNQA is implementing the National Qualifications Information Management System (NAQIMS) to manage an accurate, reliable and robust database of all qualifications in the country, which will allow for comparability and information sharing in the sector globally.