15/05/2026
COMPETENCE-BASED ASSESSMENT IN ZAMBIA: Opportunities, Challenges, and Policy Implications for Effective Educational Transformation
By Dr. Izukanji SIAME
The change from Outcome-Based Curriculum (OBC) to Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) and Competence-Based Assessment (CBA) is a gradual process in Zambia’s education system from rote learning and exam-based instruction to competence-building in problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking. With the use of school-based assessment, contextual learning, and the incorporation of the three domains of learning; cognitive, psychomotor, and affective, the reform aims at developing learners who not only apply what they have learned in real life but also participate actively in the developmental process of the nation.
However, in spite of the promising outlook of the reform, there are still some issues relating to implementation that should be seriously addressed. During this crucial time, many Form 2 pupils have not yet been properly exposed to the workings of the Competence-Based Assessment method, while many teachers in various institutions are still finding their feet with the new approach with little or no guidance, assessment criteria, and educational materials. There is a fear that students may one day be required to take an assessment exam that they do not know how to tackle since they have not fully been introduced to the system yet, especially in less-endowed schools where certain constraints exist.
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