As Kenyan students sit three national examinations, candidates, parents, guardians and teachers have been challenged to observe integrity in preparing the learners to become respected leaders globally.
According to the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) deputy secretary-general Hesbon Otieno, all stakeholders have a duty to ensure the exams processes are above-board.
Mr Otieno is faulting adults and educators for perpetuating malpractices that give the learners compromised grades that end up hurting their professions and exposing the country to tragedies and ridicule when they emerge as square pegs in round holes in their working lives.
“The idea of exam cheating is always fed into learners’ minds by adults,” he said. Almost every year, the Ministry of Education has been fighting claims that national exam papers are leaked and are hawked, exposing parents and guardians as the facilitators of the cheating rot since the learners have no purchasing power.
Schools have also been accused of colluding with parents and guardians by demanding illegal levies that are partly used in oiling the wheels of corruption in national examinations.
Mr Otieno said exam cheating is not an event but rather a planned journey and called upon the government to punish those engaging in career-limiting ills.
The KNUT boss pronounced himself on the subject as Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang assured the nation of a seamless examination process.
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The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) with about a million candidates started on October 23 and will close on November 24. The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) will start on October 30, marking the end of an era under the 8-4-4 system. The Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) will have its first national exam for Grade 6 — Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA)– starting on October 30.
According to the Kenya National Examinations Council, there are 1.2 million KPSEA candidates while more than 1.4 million registered for KCPE.
Dr Kipsang said the government has addressed potential challenges candidates face, including capitation and school enrolment issues. Students from the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) will also have access to sufficient food during the examination period, the government has assured.
“We have asked all school heads who might have challenges to bring them to the attention of our field officers so that things are streamlined. We have also put in place plans to ensure the facilitation of our field officers to various exam centres,” the PS said.
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