Kenya’s New Proposed Changes in Exams Procedure

By | October 13, 2023
0 Comment

New Proposed Changes in Exam Procedures and Integrity Enhancement.

A National Assembly committee investigating allegations of enormous irregularities in the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) has found that the administration of the examinations was flawed, but the results did not deviate significantly from those of previous editions.

The committee’s report states that the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) guidelines are not being rigorously followed.

It also highlights that these rules and guidelines lack effectiveness in preventing examination malpractices resulting from new trends like technological advancements, as the existing regulations are outdated.

The report recommends a revision of penalties for cheating to discourage potential offenders.

The MPs also criticized the marking of the examinations, noting that the examiners’ integrity, the marking schemes, the bestowing of marks, and the moderation process, as well as “activities in the marking centres,” were shrouded in mystery.

According to the report, examiners were required to work lengthy hours, which negatively impacted their productivity, and their housing was in “poor and deplorable conditions,” which demotivated them. In addition, their remuneration was delayed for nine months after the exercise concluded.

In its report, the Committee criticized Knec for neglecting to conduct periodic independent audits. According to the text, this is crucial for continuous enhancement and quality assurance.

According to the report, the government should allocate sufficient funds to the Ministry of Education and school boards for infrastructure enhancements and investment in closed-circuit television equipped with artificial intelligence in all examination centres.

The committee suggests that the Knesset allocate additional funds to the Knesset so that it can fund its activities and operations, such as compensating examiners, transporting examination materials, and providing adequate housing for examiners.

Here are links to the most important news portals: