10th U6+ Consortium of African Universities International Conference

Higher education in Africa faces challenges in aligning teaching and learning with Competency-Based Education (CBE) reforms. Traditional lecture-driven models often fail to cultivate critical thinking, creativity, and practical skills. This gap undermines the philosophy of competency, particularly the axiom “I do, We do, You do”, which emphasizes progressive, constructivist, and humanistic approaches to instruction. This paper seeks to advance the situational philosophy of competency in higher education by reflecting on how progressive, constructivist, and humanistic pedagogies can transform African university classrooms. It aims to provide a framework for integrating competency-based practices into higher education to enhance learner autonomy, collaboration, and mastery. The study adopts a qualitative reflective approach, drawing on philosophical analysis, document review of African higher education reforms, and case illustrations from Kenyan universities implementing CBE. The methodology emphasizes interpretive inquiry and critical reflection rather than empirical measurement. The paper discusses that the philosophical foundations of competency in education is rooted in progressivism, constructivism, and humanism. The role of the “I do, We do, You do” model in fostering gradual learner independence. Challenges in African universities, including teacher preparedness, curriculum rigidity, and resource constraints. Opportunities for embedding competency mapping, skills development, and authentic assessment into higher education.
The paper reflects on the tension between traditional knowledge transmission and competency-driven pedagogy. It highlights how African classrooms can shift toward learner-centered instruction, emphasizing collaboration, experiential learning, and contextual problem-solving. The paper concludes that; the situational philosophy of competency provides a viable pathway for African universities to align teaching with CBE reforms. It bridges theory and practice by operationalizing progressive, constructivist, and humanistic approaches in classroom instruction. Key recommendations are: Strengthening faculty development programs to equip lecturers with CBE pedagogical skills, redesign curricula to integrate competency-based outcomes and performance tasks, investing in learning resources and infrastructure to support active learning and encouraging policy harmonization across African higher education systems to sustain competency reforms.