Two parents have petitioned the National Assembly to probe the 2020 KCPE exam results, citing unfairness faced by candidates in private schools.

Mary Njoki and Isaac Njoroge averred that their children were graded unfairly.

The two cited a pattern of possible manipulation of results that skewed the general performance of public schools to the detriment of private schools.

They raised concerns that the marking and release process of the KCPE exam lacks transparency and is shrouded in mystery, putting the Education ministry under CS George Magoha on the spot.

They want the National Assembly Education Committee to probe allegations of possible external influence in the marking process.

The petitioners argued that external influences resulted in candidates at public schools getting higher scores than their counterparts in private schools.

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“They are seeking a review of the legal framework governing the marking of national examinations to avert external influence by stakeholders,” National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi told MPs.

The parents claimed that an extensive analysis of the results of the exam released on April 15, 2021, revealed the pattern for which they are seeking the review.

They argued that private schools heavily invested in ICT and deployed alternative learning methods, including online classes, after Covid-19 disrupted learning in schools.

The petitioners argue that the measures ensured candidates in private schools prepared for the exam better than their counterparts in public schools.

“We are puzzled that contrary to the logical expectations, the 2020 KCPE results were skewed to reflect better performance of public schools and a drastic drop in performance of candidates in private schools,” they say.

Muturi reported that the petitioners attached progress reports to demonstrate that the marks they were awarded reflected a drastic negative deviation from the average scores they had in CATs.

They also attached results of an assessment conducted by the Kenya National Examinations Council after the resumption of learning post-Covid-19 to ascertain KCPE preparedness.

“KNEC, in its report on Monitoring Learner Achievement at Class 7 Level Primary School Education, admitted that children in private schools achieved higher mean scores in all subjects than their counterparts in public schools,” the petitioners point out.

MPs said it was regrettable that some parents think that public schools cannot perform better than private schools in the national examinations.

Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba said they will scrutinise the petition to ascertain if there was any other method that was used away from the normal marking methods.

Milemba who is also the Education committee vice chair said, “There has been a lot of imagination that public schools cannot perform. With improved infrastructure and if we get more teachers, we shall have public schools performing better.”

Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa said the integrity of exams must be protected, saying the complaints about exams should be dealt with.

“The question is: at what point were the results interfered with? When you tabulate the results you should have a uniform pattern,” he said.

“If it is true that private schools’ results don’t display a uniform curve, then something went wrong. Let the results be audited. We cannot allow the results to be compromised.”

Endebess MP Robert Pukose said the committee should look at the allegations against available data to ascertain whether marking has been favouring certain institutions.

“In as much as we strive to make public institutions better, the problem is the quality. It is also fair that a child in Garissa or wherever gets equal attention.

“It will be an opportunity for the committee to ensure fair distribution of teachers and infrastructure and what can be put as the bare minimum for any child to compete fairly in the country,” Pukose said.

Seme MP James Nyika termed it unfortunate that no member of the House has ever raised a petition for the years that public schools have done poorly.

“The public school should be the gold standard. Let us find out the truth but should it come out that the feeling is that private schools should do better, then we will have let our people down.

“This is because we should be more concerned when public schools are performing poorly,” Nyikal said.

A storm is brewing over the marks awarded to learners in private schools three weeks after the release of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination results.

Private schools have mounted pressure on the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) to explain the scores, which the schools believe disadvantaged their learners.

They argue that the poor marks were not consistent with the previous performances, even if the Covid-19 pandemic had disrupted learning.

This as it emerged that some candidates in private schools are undergoing counselling because the grades they posted did not reflect their potential, according to some school managers.

At the centre of the complaint is how marks were standardised by Knec, a move that is now threatening to split the national association of the private schools.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha said each student got the marks they deserve.

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“I am impressed that public schools have shone in the 2020 KCPE, scooping 10 of the top 15 overall slots in the examination,” said Magoha.

But, while one faction of the Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA) defended performance of their candidates, another argued that results by learners from private schools was not a true reflection of their marks.

“Private schools also dominated top mean scores in almost all the counties the association interrogated,” said Peter Ndoro, KPSA chief executive.

However, this statement irked some members of the association.

“The association speaks for us and they did not capture our concerns,” said John Mwai, former KPSA chair.

According to Knec, standardisation is a process that involves adjusting the raw marks for each paper in the examination to allow for differences in difficulty and in the extent to which marks scatter.

“In this process of standardisation, the difficulty among the papers is measured in terms of mean raw marks scored by all candidates, while the differences in scatter are measured in terms of standard deviation,” reads the Knec statement.

The exams body explains that the process entails converting the raw marks of each paper in the KCPE examination so that the mean and standard deviation of each of the papers are identical.

“For KCPE examination, the mean expected of a normal distribution is 50 and the standard deviation is 15,” reads the Knec statement.

Further, the examination council explained that the process is important when results from different papers must be combined to give overall total.

“Once the raw marks have been standardised, the cut-off points for all grades are identical for all subjects and are therefore maintained at the same level from year to year,” reads the Knec statement.

The agency says the standardised scores are then used for reporting candidates’ performance and for selection purposes.

“When the scores are standardised the relative positions of the candidates remain unchanged; the top candidates in each subject still remains at the top,” reads the Knec statement.

Mwai, however, said the standardisation process and moderation tools applied for KCPE 2020 greatly disadvantaged candidates who sat the exams in private centres.

“Private schools, teachers, parents and candidates are demanding that Knec furnishes all schools in Kenya with the raw marks for KCPE 2020 candidates before standardisation was applied. Otherwise, the credibility of Knec to fairly administer the exams is now at stake,” said Mwai, while speaking in Kirinyaga.

But, Ndoro absolved Knec from any blame, saying examination standardisation was a process that very few people understand. He said the standardisation was not selective as it is applied to all candidates who sit the same exam without exception.

“The answer is simple; a majority of the candidates did not perform very well in the raw scores which affected the mean for the raw marks that was used in the standardisation formula,” said the KPSA chairman.

Last week, directors of private schools from Kirinyaga, Kiambu, Mombasa, Kilifi, Machakos, Lamu, Tana River, Taita Taveta, Meru, Kajiado and Nairobi demanded the disclosure of the raw results before they were subjected to standardisation.

The directors also want the process of standardisation and moderation of the examinations disclosed to Kenyans to calm down growing anxiety.More directors of private schools from various counties are scheduled to make similar statements, poking holes into the statements by KPSA and Knec.

Wesaya Maina, an education expert, faulted Knec for not properly explaining to Kenyans the key concepts in examination moderation and standardisation.

“There are half-truths doing rounds about exam standardisation and moderation. Everyone is trying to guess the procedure,” said Maina.

The standardisation debate has now split KPSA members, with immediate former chairperson of the body sharply differing with the present office holders.

David Kariithi, Kirinyaga County KPSA chairman and Solomon Munene, a member of KPSA, said their sentiments are shared by many private institutions across the country.

“The standardisation should be fair to all candidates and Knec should immediately furnish all schools with the standardisation report applied in KCPE 2020 alongside the raw marks,” reads the statement.

Similar sentiments were made by Omari Mbuli, who spoke on behalf of private school directors from Coastal region counties.

Analysis of the results show that only five candidates from private schools made it to the top 15 bracket nationally, signalling a shift in scores compared to previous grades.

In results of the previous years, candidates in private schools dominated the top 10 charts, with public schools sometimes missing out or registering dismal grades.

Making reference to this trend, private schools’ directors and other interested parties called for further interrogation of the marks.

Data presented by the private schools show in the 2016 results, only three candidates from public schools appeared among top 15 list. In 2017, only four candidates from public schools appeared under the top 15 category.

And in 2018, only two candidates from public schools were listed among the top 15. Last year, five candidates from public schools appeared among the top 15 best performers.

In the 2019 exams, of the 30 best performing schools, only four public ones produced top candidates.

However, in the 2020 KCPE results recently released, none of these schools produced a candidate in the top 15 category.

The flare-up by some of the private schools are a culmination of grumblings that have been simmering since the results were released.

The directors of private schools now argue that their learners did well in the Monitoring Learner Progress assessments, which were administered just after schools opened.

“How then did the KCPE results tilt in favour of candidates from public schools and only negatively affected candidates from private schools?” reads the joint statement.

Its important to note that secondary schools do not send admission letters to students. The ministry of education has provided a simple online platform where form one 2022 students will conveniently download their admission letters. The reporting date for form one 2022 will be in July. In case you cannot afford the fees, click here for a list of scholarship opportunities from 250 KCPE marks

To download your letter follow these steps:

1. 1. Go to: Form one 2022 admission letter For National Schools, Form one 2022 admission letter For Extra county Schools and Form one 2022 admission letter For County Schools.
   2. Select the county and sub-county you sat KCPE then key in your index number and Submit.
   3. Click on the link named “admission letter” at the bottom of the page for a copy of your admission letter.
   4. Use the printer icon to print or download icon to download to your computer.
   5. Get your primary school’s headteacher to endorse the letter and stamp it in the space provided.
   6. Finally, present it for admission together with a certified copy of birth certificate

Online Form one 2022 joining instructions

Once the student has downloaded the form one 2022 admission letter, the next thing is to go through the details and prepare adequately for admission exercise. For more scholarship opportunities, click here.

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Here are the details and joining instructions found on form one 2022 admission letter

1. Details and the the logo of the secondary school the student has been admitted to.
2. Name of the student and a congratulatory message for securing admission.
3. A section where the student will take the letter to primary school for endorsement from the Primary headteacher. No that the headteacher must embed a signature and official rubber stamp of the school.
4. The letter will also indicate the reporting date for the student. The student will be expected to arrive at the school during working hours between 8.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. on the first day of reporting.   It will be inconvenient for you to arrive outside these hours or during weekends as there would not be personnel to attend to you. When reporting for admission, you must bring with you:

•  A letter of introduction from either the Chief of your area, the pastor or    the Father-in-Charge of your Parish / Mission.
• A letter of introduction from your Primary School Headteacher.
• A certified copy of your result slip for K. C. P. E. Examination.
• A certified copy of your BIRTH CERTIFICATE or document to prove your date of birth.
• Two Passport Size Photos.
• Photocopy of the I.D.s’ of parent(s) / guardian.
• A medical certificate (Fill in the provided medical form MHS/A/3)

 BOOKS & OTHER CURRICULUM MATERIALS 

For your personal use, you must bring the following:

• The Archdiocese of Nairobi School Hymnal (to be purchased from school)
• The Holy Bible (Revised Standard Version).
• Geometrical Set

SPECIAL DIET

Please note that the school does not offer special diet to students.  However, any medical concern on your health must be reported to the School Nurse immediately on admission.

BEDDING

You must provide yourself with two blankets, at least two pairs of bed sheets, (minimum size 150 x 225), 2 pillowcases, a mosquito net (conical 3 x 6 Blue in colour).

PERSONAL EFFECTS

Each student is expected to provide himself with such items as:

• A pair of black shoes (“Toughees”)
• A pair of sports shoes
• 6 white Under-wears and 6 white Vests
• 4 Handkerchiefs
• Towels
• Toilet and washing soap
• Shoe polish
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• A plate and a spoon
• A ¼ litre cup (standard size)
• A metal bucket, 2 rubber squizzers & a slasher
• Trunk (strong lockable metal box) and 2 padlocks
• Slippers

Note: these details and guidelines are just meant to guide. Each school has its own requirements, though the requirements resemble in most schools. It is therefore prudent that you purchase as per the admission letter of your child.

More than 12,000 candidates failed to sit the 2020 KCPE examinations. Pressure is now mounting on heads, teachers and chiefs to account for the missing learners. Compiled data shows that 12,424 candidates missed KCPE Exams, with Nairobi registering the highest number of absentees 1153 out of 66175 registered candidates.

In Bungoma County, 581 out of 55334 missed KCPE examinations while in Nakuru county, 572 missed out of 56527.Data further shows that some 562 candidates did not sit examinations in Turkana.

Other counties with missing candidates are Kakamega (555), Meru (554), Migori (537), Garissa (506), Kiambu (443) and Kilifi (440).

Counties with a relatively high number of missing candidates are Kiambu, Machakos, Kitui, West Pokot, Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Narok, Busia, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Siaya, and Kisii (click here toi see full report.)

This revelation now puts heads, teachers and chiefs in a spot in various counties to institute plans to trace the learners. Each pupil in a public primary school receives Sh1,420 in capitations per year. Assuming all the missing candidates were in public schools, each learner ought to have received Sh11,360 during the entire eight years of study.

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Education CS George Magoha did not take it easy after realizing that more than ksh 142 million was spent on all the missing candidates in capitation funding during their entire primary school education. In addition to this, the stakeholders argue that taxpayers’ money was used by the government to pay examination fees for all the candidates.

This examination cost was taken up by the government after President Uhuru Kenyatta signed into law the Kenya National Examination Council (Amendment) Act, 2015, which waived examination fee levied on all Standard Eight and Form Four candidates.

Education stakeholders want each of the learners accounted for.“We can still have these children mopped up through the Nyumba Kumi initiative to register for examinations, which will be done later this year,” said Nicholas Maiyo, National Parents’ Association chairman.

Speaking on the sidelines during the release of this year’s KCPE examinations results, Basic Education PS Jwan Julius said once the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) breaks down the numbers per region, measures will be put in place to track the candidates.

“As has always been the case, regional officers down to the villages will be tasked to look for these learners with a view of accounting for all of them,” said Jwan.

A section of the Ministry of Education officials however cited cases of early pregnancy and marriages among girls, while boys may have ventured in income-generating activities like fishing and boda boda business, which kept them away from school. In the pastoral communities, the ministry said many learners moved in search for pasture, while many others were displaced in flood-prone areas such as Baringo. Chiefs are teachers are bearing the pressure since they were the ones to ensure that all learners report back to school after the long covid break.

“Someone somewhere failed in his duty and must be answerable. Chiefs were directed to ensure that all learners reported back to school and teachers were to record data of absentees and report to local administration for tracking. It is obvious who should be blamed for this,” said furious Magoha in a recent interview.

Magata Bruce is the top student in the 2021 KCPE exam with 428 out of 500 marks. Announcing the results at Mtihani House, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha said that the top ten students out of 15 in last year’s exam came from private schools.

Here is the list of the top ten students:

1. Magata Bruce Mckenzie – 428 marks

2. Momanyi Ashley Kerubo Makini High school – 427 marks

3. Kuoma Charity Bakhoya -Misibu Girls- 426 marks

4. Mbugua Sharon Wairimu – 426 marks

5.Muteti Shantel Ndinda -426 marks

6.Stanley Otieno Omondi -426 marks

7. Wekesa Naomi – Whitestar Academy – 426 marks

8.Kimani Ethan Karuga – Stepping Stones Preparatory – 426 marks

9.Njeru Joel Junior – Nyagwa Primary – 425 marks

10. Muriuki Victor – 425 marks

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Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has revealed his fears that some candidates are planning to use face masks to cheat in the upcoming national examinations.

Magoha alleges that some candidates are planning to write answers on the masks which are part of the safety measures put in place by the government to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“We know that some of you are planning to use masks to cheat. Do not make such an attempt because we shall frisk you and if caught, it’s up to you,” Magoha said.

He warned the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates that the ministry was aware of the ‘innovative’ methods they are planning to use to cheat.

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Magoha’s comments came as the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) released tough measures the candidates must adhere to before the start of examinations.

Guidelines released by Knec require that supervisors ensure candidates are searched thoroughly as they enter examination rooms even after visiting the washrooms.

“Candidates should lower their masks during identification as this can be used as an avenue for impersonation. Tougher measures will also be implemented during frisking of the candidates,” the guidelines read.

All candidates will be searched after temperature checks and after sanitising- before every test.

The invigilators will also be required to wear face masks and sanitise their hands before and after searches.

However, during the entire examination session, all candidates will be required to wear face masks.

“Candidates must wear face masks properly throughout the examination. Candidates with hearing impairment sitting KCSE exams may be required to remove their masks when taking the practical signing examination,” the Knec rules say.

Similarly, invigilators and school staff will be required to wear masks and shall only be removed when signing candidates with hearing impairment.

Speaking during a meeting at the Kenya School of Government last week, Magoha also expressed fears over the possible use of masks to beat security safeguards during the examinations.

“We are aware that as we plan for the effective administration of exams, others are busy planning how to cheat,” Magoha said.

Performance of Grade Four learners in the recently conducted reveals Major learning gaps with poor scores recorded in reading, writing, listening and speaking skills.

KNEC report shows that the learners were heavily affected by prolonged closure of schools.

Overally, Grade Four learners, who are the pioneers of the new 2–6–3–3–3 education system under Competency Based Curriculum, performed below expectation in subject specific content and skill areas.

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“The significant increase in the percentage of learners performing below expectation is indicative of learning loss which can be attributed to lack of face-to-face learning, and inadequate access to remote learning,” reads the report.

“In order to address learning gaps, the study recommends focused interventions in key skill or content areas such as reading comprehension, as well as capacity building of teachers in best approaches to the implementation of the CBC so as improve learning outcomes in skills such as reading comprehension and writing,” the report says.

A total of 1.3 million Grade Four learners were assessed across 37,243 institutions under the Sh1.5 billion Global Partnership for Education (GPE) funding supervised by the World Bank.

The areas of assessment were English Language, Kiswahili Language, Mathematics, Environmental Activities and Science and Technology.

Other areas included Kenyan Sign Language (KSL), Activities of Daily Living and Communication Skills, Pre-Numeracy Orientation and Sensory Motor Activities. The tests were expected to measure learner’s entry behaviour after the long period of school closure to inform of possible learning gaps.

KNEC report further reveals that in English Language, majority of the learners did not attain minimum proficiency levels in all the language skills and content areas. In all the assessed skills, majority of learners performed below expectation.

Overall results also unearthed gender disparities where more girls met learning expectations in the subject-specific skills and content areas compared to boys.

In English Language, for example, more girls met expectations in all the skills and content areas assessed compared to boys.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has informed the public that KCPE and KCSE examinations, which are timetabled to begin in March 2021, are ready.

Initially, the KCPE and KCSE exams had been scheduled to begin from October 27^th 2020 and November 4^th 2020 respectively.

The exams were, however, postponed to 2021, owing to unavoidable disruptions on the academic calendar, which were caused by Covid-19 pandemic.

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Professor Magoha’s latest revelations about KCPE and KCSE examinations have brought immeasurable hope and joy to both parents and teachers. They have been assured by the CS that finally their learners will sit for the exams.  The KCSE and KCPE exams will also be simple and straightforward to cushion the candidates, who are yet to recover from the effects of covid-19.

“The examinations are now ready and are very simple. Let parents encourage their children to continue preparing. I must also applaud the teachers for the manner in which they have covered the time table,” said Prof Magoha during a visit to Roysambu Primary School.

“Most learners, including candidates, never touched their books during the long holiday. Even after partial reopening of schools, the candidates’ minds were still at home and they could not concentrate in class. At least a simpler exam can help them score better grades. We hate seeing them fail,” said Mr. Kariuki, a teacher who doubles up as a parent.

Magoha reminded parents and learners that the official school reopening date is still 4^th January 2021 and the government is determined to ensure 100 per cent preparedness.

“There may be challenges when we re-open, but we shall altogether deal with them as they come. This is a very serious issue and people should stop politicizing it because Covid-19 is here to stay and we must adapt,” he said.

Magoha further said the Government would provide protective masks for approximately three million learners strictly from poor families.

“We shall not provide masks to everybody because I strongly believe a large number of families can afford Sh100 to buy masks,” he said.

He said boarding learners whose parents might not be able to pay school fees due to the economic impact of Covid-19 should be allowed to continue learning as modalities of payment is being sorted.next