Education News: the fate of Grade Six KPSEA Candidates ahead of CBC review as confusion reigns Supreme
Will KPSEA candidates transit to secondary schools in January 2023?
The mindboggling question lingering in every Kenyan’s mind is whether grade six CBC learners who are currently undertaking their KPSEA 2022 national examinations will transit to secondary schools to continue their junior secondary school studies or remain in their primary schools.
The latest Education News Today indicates that the newly appointed Cabinet Secretary in charge of Education Ezekiel Machogu has pleaded with Kenyan parents who are obviously growing out of patience given the financial demands that are laced with secondary school admission to give the ministry and other stakeholders ample time to address their concerns over the fate of Grade Six pupils ahead of the review of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Speaking in Mombasa on Monday, CS Machogu confirmed that the Working Party on Education Reforms would table findings and recommendations in due time.
He further explained that the Ministry would make a final decision based on the findings before the start of the 2023 academic year.
“It will not be too late because that announcement will be coming in the first week of December.
“Soon enough, we are going to know where the young ones will be domiciled whether in primary or secondary schools,” Machogu explained.
Among the concerns raised by parents was the decision to have Grade Six pupils be admitted to schools within their localities as day scholars.
During the nationwide public participation process, caregivers protested the admission of pupils to secondary schools arguing that some of them were too young to be in high school.
Another issue brought up was how the government was going to select and place students across several categories of schools: national, county, and extra-counties.
Notably, some of the parents wanted CBC to be done away with entirely, citing high costs and inadequate infrastructure in schools.
Meanwhile, the working party on reforms recommended that students proceed to Standard Seven in the same schools but have different uniforms from the rest of the pupils.
The CS further assured Kenyans that there will be no cases of cheating in both the KPSEA 2022 and KCPE 2022 national examinations.
“We have been able to put necessary measures in place and I can assure you there will be no cheating. This time round we have personal accountability at the individual level from center manager to Invigilators,” he said.
In other Knec News, chief executive officer David Njengere has clarified why Grade 6 learners did not write Insha and Composition.
Unlike KCPE, Grade 6 learners will write five assessment papers, which do not include Insha and Composition.
Njengere said KPSEA which only contributes to 40 percent of the total grading has already catered to the creative needs of the learners.
“In KCPE learners are assessed once after 8 years, but right from Grade 4 learners are tested in both Insha and Composition,” Njengere said.
Some parents had raised concerns saying the two subjects would have tested learners’ creativity.
Njengere said progressive assessment in CBC helps in improving competencies.
“So KPSEA is actually providing the learner with more opportunities to write and boost creativity for both languages,” he said.