Education Cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i has spelt out drastic measures that include altering the schools term calendar and the administration of national examinations.
The steps, announced yesterday, are aimed at curbing cheating in national examinations after massive irregularities witnessed last year. School principals and headteachers will replace chief examiners who have been overseeing the examinations exercise in each centre.
The latter were widely blamed last year for condoning massive cheating. The Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) will appoint principals and headteachers to oversee teams of “carefully selected and vetted supervisors”.
Together with schools Board of Management, the principals and headteachers will take full responsibility and accountability for any examination malpractices reported in their centres. Knec will also identify senior officials and responsible teachers to be supervisors and invigilators of the national examinations, said the ministerial statement.
The CS made the announcement flanked by education stakeholders, including representatives from Knec, Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), Kenya Union of Post-Primary Teachers (Kuppet), Kenya Primary School Head Teachers Association (KEPSHA), Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KSSHA) and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
In other measures meant to limit contact between Form Four candidates and the outside world, Matiang’i banned the half-term break during Third Term and visiting by parents or relatives. Also banned are prayer sessions that schools organise for candidates before exams commence. Such occasions were identified last year as windows that facilitated access to leakage material and gadgets like mobile phones.
Matiang’i also announced re-organisation of term dates and saying the Third Term for both primary and secondary schools will commence on August 29 and end October 28 for Standard One to Standard Seven and Form One to Form Three.
To accommodate the change, Matiang’i said the Second Term which was initially scheduled to end on August 5 will be extended to August 12. Similarly, the full period for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination will be reduced to four weeks with exercise starting on November 7 and ending on November 30, while the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam will be written between November 1 and 3.
The stakeholders, who have been part of consultations to improve administration of the national exams supported the CS in the effort to restore credibility in examinations.
Knec board chairman George Magoha said the council has received government support since he took office and was categorical that he will lead the board to deliver and strongly resist any attempts to interfere with their work.
Magoha was appointed the Knec boss after Matiang’i disbanded the former team after more than 5,000 2015 KCSE candidates had their results cancelled due to examination cheating. Knut chairman Mudzo Nzili said the new measures should be an early warning to teachers that anyone involved in malpractices would carry their own cross.
KSSHA chairman John Awiti welcomed the move to address challenges that the sector has been facing, especially cheating, as he registered his support for the CS with his remarks being also echoed by KEPSHA’s chairman Shem Ndolo. Kuppet Secretary General Akello Misori said: “We support the bold step to restore credibility of examinations, it will go a long way in restoring confidence and the papers acquired will also be appreciated elsewhere.”
The new rules arose from a consultation between the ministry and Knec and is also in compliance with the provisions of Knec Act, specifically Legal Notice No. 135 on conduct of examination rules.
The post CS spells out drastic measures for schools appeared first on Mediamax Network Limited.