Machogu Meets Cabinet Secretaries Over KCPE, KCSE Integrity Plans
Tomorrow, three Cabinet secretaries will convene to oversee the beginning of this year’s national examinations.
Following revelations that a number of strategic adjustments are in place to ensure the secure administration of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations, this development has occurred.
The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) is currently implementing measures to close any potential vulnerabilities that could compromise the examinations’ integrity.
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As part of a multisectoral approach, CS for Education Ezekiel Machogu will host his counterparts, Kithure Kindiki (Interior) and Eliud Owalo (ICT). Monday’s appointed meeting will take place at the Knec’s headquarters.
It is anticipated that Machogu will provide comprehensive information regarding the three national examinations that will be administered to a record-breaking 3.5 million students.
According to data from Knec, more than 1.2 million students will take the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), 1.4 million will take the KCPE examination, and 903,260 will take the KCSE examination.
This is the final KCPE examination administered under the 8-4-4 educational system.
Dr David Njengere, the Knec chief executive, said adjustments will be made in the transportation of KCSE papers, particularly those scheduled for the afternoon session, to prevent any early exposure of examination materials.
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Instead of receiving both the morning and afternoon examinations at the same time, schools will now collect each exam separately based on its scheduled session.
For example, papers designated for the morning session will be distributed in the morning, while papers designated for the afternoon session will be securely stored until required.
Njengere further explained that the modifications would include the release and transportation of only one paper to the examination center at a time.
This modification will concentrate predominantly on KCSE examinations, which have been identified as the most susceptible to early exposure.
In addition, the government has added 82 more storage containers, bringing the total to 576. Additionally, schools have been remapped to facilitate access to the closest storage container.
Dr. Njengere explained that schools used to collect examination papers from their respective sub-county headquarters in the past.
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However, due to some schools’ proximity to nearby sub-county headquarters being closer than their own, they will now be collecting the papers from the nearest containers.
Extensive alterations are anticipated to affect the KCSE examination’s grading.
The Presidential Working Group for Education Reform suggested that the KCSE should be graded on the basis of two mandatory subjects in order to determine learners’ final scores.
One language (either English or Kiswahili) and mathematics will be required subjects. In calculating the final score, these two subjects will be considered alongside the candidate’s top five subjects.
Currently, Knec grades candidates on the basis of five required subjects and two other subjects with the highest performance.
Knec utilizes a candidate’s scores in mathematics, English, and Kiswahili, as well as two of either biology, chemistry, or physics for the two science sections.
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Machogu Meets Cabinet Secretaries Over KCPE, KCSE Integrity Plans
