KCSE Marking Suspended Indefinitely Following Teachers Strike
The continuing marking of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE) was suspended indefinitely after teachers involved in the exercise protested poor working conditions and inadequate pay.
During the exercise on Tuesday, January 10, the teachers also complained about newly implemented safety precautions in the grading process.
According to the tutors, the precautions slowed down the marking process, causing them to finish assignments later than anticipated. Teachers were grading a Christian Religious Education (CRE) examination when the walkout began.
After the applicants passed their national tests in December 2022, the process had been proceeding at St Francis Mangu Girls High School for some weeks.
This week, according to Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, the exam results will be announced.
Principal Secretary of Basic Education Dr. Belio Kipsang stated that the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination results will be announced by January 23, before schools reopen.
He said that the good results on the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), which came out on December 21st, were also due to the good environment.
The PS praised the teachers, saying that they were very careful and took a lot of time to prepare their students in the six-month school year that was their shortest.
The Covid-19 pandemic messed up the normal academic year. Schools closed on March 16, 2020, partially reopened on October 19, 2020, and fully reopened on January 4, 2021. This is about nine months.
In January 2023, the learning year will go back to how it used to be.
In the messed-up calendar, kids would be out of school for a few days, making it hard for parents to get money for groceries and school fees.
Many parents were hurt by the effects of Covid-19, which also made them and their kids feel bad.
The PS also praised the media for showing what he called an unmatched level of professionalism.