2023 KCPE and KCSE Exam Verdict: Aggrieved Schools, Candidates to Wait Longer for Appeals
Aggrieved candidates from the 2023 KCPE and KCSE exams, who have contested their results, will face extended waiting times for the verdict.
The National Examinations Appeals Tribunal, responsible for reviewing such grievances, operates at a slow pace, taking up to 60 days to handle complaints from schools and candidates related to KCSE results.
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The tribunal’s process further extends as it only takes up cases after the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) has communicated its findings, adding another 60 days to the timeline.
Consequently, the total time required to process all complaints arising from KCSE exams reaches 120 days from the initial complaint date.
For last year’s KCSE candidates contesting Knec results, the final verdict may be known by May 8, potentially affecting university selection and placement by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
In contrast, candidates challenging KCPE results have a 30-day window for the tribunal to reach a verdict. This timeline may impact students seeking placement in secondary schools, even if their results are reviewed upward, and could cause delays for some KCSE candidates in university selection.
These revelations are found in Section 40B of the Kenya National Examination Council Act of 2012, as reviewed in 2017, which establishes the National Examinations Appeals Tribunal. The tribunal’s role is to confirm, set aside, or vary decisions of the examination council, communicating its decisions within seven days.
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According to the Act, the tribunal is composed of a chairperson appointed by the Judicial Service Commission, individuals nominated by head teacher and principal associations, an experienced examiner, and a representative from the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu recently appointed the new members of the examination appeals tribunal, led by Dr Wayne Mutua Kenneth as chairperson. The team will decide on the appeals from 2023 KCSE candidates dissatisfied with Knec’s decisions.
However, the tribunal’s future is uncertain due to a proposal by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms to collapse all education sector tribunals into a single entity, the Education Appeals Tribunal.
The proposed tribunal, under a new bill, would handle appeals from various education sector decisions, including those from the Teachers Service Commission and Council of Universities.
This potential restructuring raises questions about the tribunal’s effectiveness and the overall impact on the resolution of appeals in the education sector.
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2023 KCPE and KCSE Exam Verdict: Aggrieved Schools, Candidates to Wait Longer for Appeals
