MPs Clear KNEC Over KCPE Claims; The Exams Process Revealed
MPs have cleared the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) of any wrongdoing in the recently released contentious 2023 KCPE national exams.
After three hours of touring the Nairobi City Council warehouse, the MPs said that they had finally seen what it takes to administer, mark, and issue examination results and praised the KNEC for the job.
“We have confirmed that the exam process was above board, and that it was carried out as per the regulations,” said Julius Melly, who led the National Assembly Education Committee.
The ruling came after Tinderet MP led his committee members in a statewide probe for the 2022 exams, following which they issued a report.
ALSO READ: KNEC Addresses 133 Cases On 2023 KCPE Results
And, this year, the outrage that greeted the announcement of the 2023 KCPE prompted MPs to launch a new series of investigations to determine what went wrong.
The MPs were led to the Optical Mark Reader (OMR) room on Wednesday, a secure area reserved for senior KNEC officials and security staff.
During the visit, the MPs were given an overview of the KCPE multiple-choice question marking procedure, including the electronic entry of marks and the combination of scores for Kiswahili Insha and English Composition.
David Njengere, the CEO of KNEC, explained that OMR machines handle the marking of multiple-choice papers, while manual marking is employed for compositions, Insha, Kenya Sign Language, and papers designed for visually challenged students.
The OMR machine has a reading speed of 225 copies per minute, indicating that within one hour, the machine is capable of marking up to 75,000 answer sheets.
ALSO READ: Machogu Face MPs as Parent Sue KNEC over KCPE Results Error
KNEC provided the MPs with a tour of its warehouses, showcasing the storage facilities for examination materials. The visit extended to the command center, where the activities across all 40 marking centers are closely monitored.
The MPs then conducted a question-and-answer session in which they sought explanations on numerous examination issues and raised difficult questions concerning the KCPE.
At the end of the meeting, they stated that the process was legal.
Melly called on the media to present the issues in a balanced manner and refrain from portraying the nation as one characterized by cheating. The committee appreciated KNEC for a job well done.
He further inquired about the margin of error for standardizing a candidate’s results and questioned KNEC’s procedures in cases of lost or misplaced scripts.
Malulu Injendi (Malava, MP) acknowledged previous complaints but noted that this year, the process appeared foolproof. He questioned whether the public’s outcry was justified.
ALSO READ: CS Machogu, KNEC CEO Summoned by MPs Over KCPE Results Errors
Kipsang stated that as they compile the report for this year’s KCPE, they will present a clear overview of the situation and address any concerns that might have led to the controversy over potentially incorrect results.
KNEC received 712 requests for reviews of the recently announced Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination results from worried parents and schools.
In the midst of mounting discontent, KNEC dismissed KCPE exam critiques as false, calling them “hot air.”
However, the outrage resulted in the identification of 133 incidents where scores were initially absent, particularly affecting impacted candidates’ Kiswahili Insha scores.
Njengere stated in a presentation to MPs that there were 1,935 instances of missing scores.
He mentioned that 133 cases underwent corrections, leading to the generation of new results. Additionally, it was discovered that 334 candidates were absent during the examination period.
Njengere denied social media rumors that several schools received scores in which all students obtained the same grade in some courses.
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He claimed that all instances shared on social media depicting schools where all candidates achieved identical scores are manipulated or doctored results.
Njengere stated that they have a tool that flags examination centers where more than 80% of the candidates had the same answers.
He went on to say that in a school with 30 or more candidates, the chances of candidates delivering identical responses when working alone are almost nil.
According to him, their algorithm identifies examination centers where more than 80% of candidates generate identical responses.
He dismissed assertions of schools with all candidates scoring the same, calling such situations “manipulated results.”
Njengere informed Members of Parliament that there has never been a school with a candidate count exceeding 30 where all students scored identical marks in a subject in the KCPE exams.
The MPs attempted to make sense of the controversy that erupted following the announcement of the 2023 KCPE tests.
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- KNUT Wants KNEC Held Responsible For KCPE Result Errors and Irregularities
- KNEC Clarifies Inconsistencies and Errors in KCPE Exam Results
- Ministry Probe Into Nyambaria High School Threats to KNEC Officials
Njengere disclosed that the results presented to candidates are provisional for 60 days, leaving adequate opportunity for rectification.
In response to delays in result distribution via the SMS platform, KNEC claimed service providers’ difficulties in importing data from Microsoft Excel into their database.
MPs Clear KNEC Over KCPE Claims; The Exams Process Revealed
