Experts Propose Changes to End KCSE Exam Cheating
Cases of exam cheating, particularly in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), occur regularly, and this has negatively impacted the credibility of the exams and certificates offered to students by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC).
To address this issue, the National Assembly Committee on Education, led by Julius Melly, held a meeting with various education stakeholders to identify ways to seal loopholes of exam malpractice.
During the meeting, the committee sought answers from education experts on how to combat the vice of cheating, which is threatening the education sector in the country.
The committee suggested that universities should bring in independent auditors from KNEC to audit the exam process every two years. The experts agreed that security of the examinations should start from setting, administering, and marking, and proposed that practicing teachers should be exempted due to a conflict of interest.
The experts also recommended that examination centers should be moved outside of learning institutions, with enhanced security personnel and the use of CCTV during the examination period.
They suggested that the government should consider switching off the mobile network in cheating-prone centers. Furthermore, the experts suggested bringing in non-teachers to set exams, and investing in automation of exam administration and grading, where students use biometrics to take exams.
Education expert Amos Kaburu questioned whether the current assessments measure intelligence or exposure to content. He stated that exams in Kenya are a measure of exposure to content rather than intelligence.
KNEC was challenged to work towards automation of exams administration and grading in the future, which may be expensive but worth investing in.
MP Melly expressed concerns about students being forced to take exams even when they are ill or have given birth. The KASNEB boss, Dr. Nicholas Leting, suggested the use of biometrics to identify candidates and proctoring technology to detect cheating.
Experts Propose Changes to End KCSE Exam Cheating
