Probe Launched as Schools Illegally Register Grade 7 Pupils for KCPE Exams
The Kenyan government is investigating reports that some parents are paying headteachers to allow their children to skip junior secondary school and register for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations this year.
Some parents are unhappy with the implementation of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) and feel that their children would not receive the education they need at this stage, and may miss out on future employment opportunities as a result.
The government has warned schools to ensure they validate registration data for the 2023 KCPE examination and weed out illegal Grade Seven learners who have been registered for the test.
The ministry of education will not allow students to take exams whose curriculum is different from the CBC they were taught.
In a virtual meeting with regional coordinators of education, county directors of education and sub-county directors of education, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has urged officials to report on the progress of enrolment of Grade Seven learners and any challenges for the government to address.
Parents have been falsifying student records, including a unique personal identifier to eliminate trace of progress in school and a birth certificate to allow children to be presented to a new school as a transferring Standard Eight candidate.
There are fears that some of the schools where the fraudulent registrations have taken place have staffing and infrastructure challenges that could be plaguing the inaugural junior secondary school class.
Kenyan Education Cabinet Secretary, Ezekiel Machogu, has warned schools to validate the 2023 KCPE registration data and remove students who are being registered for the national test illegally.
The requirements for registering as a candidate for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) include a birth certificate, Unique Personal Identifiers (UPI), and a registration fee.
Machogu has asked regional coordinators of education, county directors of education, and sub-county directors of education to file reports on the progress of enrolling Grade Seven learners and list any challenges.
The principal secretary of education, Dr Belio Kipsang, says that any school found to engage in such malpractice will be reported to his office for action.
Safeguards are in place to ensure that headteachers sign a declaration form for registration entries, confirming that they have registered all eligible candidates who have been learning in the school, and there are no duplications. The sub-county director of education countersigns the form, certifying that the entries are correct and in accordance with the examination rules and regulations. Additionally, there is a provision for private candidates to register for the KCPE examination if they have attained a satisfactory level of competence.
Education stakeholders were urged to ensure that all learners who transitioned from Grade Six to Grade Seven last year are attending school.
There is a government allocation of KES 15,000 that should cover all requirements of junior secondary school (JSS), so there should be no illegal fees charged to parents. Learners should use the desks they used in Standard Seven in Grade Seven.
Machogu also asked education officials to furnish his office with the names of schools charging illegal fees to parents.
Probe Launched as Schools Illegally Register Grade 7 Pupils for KCPE Exams
