CBTE Is an Institutional Reform, Not a Curriculum Format

A Bible college approves a competence-based curriculum. Course titles become competencies, classroom assignments become portfolio artefacts and several pastors are named as mentors. The prospectus now uses the language of knowing, being and doing.

Yet lecturers retain the same workload, mentors receive no preparation or protected time, the finance system still counts only classroom enrolment, assessment decisions remain unexplained, digital records cannot travel and learners do not know how to appeal a formation judgement.

The curriculum changed. The institution did not.

Competency-Based Theological Education (CBTE) organises theological learning around demonstrated competencies, contextual learning and mentoring. It is used in Bible colleges, seminaries and university degree programmes. This article focuses on Bible-college and church-based formation; that focus is not a restriction on the international meaning of CBTE. Kenya’s broader occupational Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) framework is a related but distinct policy context. ICETE’s CBTE standards.

CBTE becomes credible only when governance, people, finance, evidence, recognition and learner protection are redesigned together. It is an institutional reform, not a curriculum format.

ACTEA describes its mission as strengthening African theological education through accreditation, research and capacity building. Its public events programme includes institutional and leadership development. These activities support a capacity-building agenda, but an event listing alone does not establish changes in participating institutions. ACTEA events and mission.

CBTE raises leadership and policy questions as well as…