Kenya may soon start printing its own national examination materials.

This is according to recommendations by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms.

In their report, the committee wants the government to develop the internal capacity of the Kenya National Examinations Council to print national examination materials.

Currently, both the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education(KCSE) and the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education(KCPE) are printed outside the country.

The former Education CS George Magoha had explained that the papers were printed overseas to protect the credibility of the national exams.

The Presidential Working Party of Education Reforms(PWPER) on Tuesday submitted its report to President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi.

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PWPER also recommended a radical overhaul of the current architecture of quality assurance saying the government should harmonise its mandate.

The panel also wants the Ministry of Education’s quality assurance department handed legal authority to oversee quality assurance and standards function.

”This harmonisation of the quality assurance standard functions should be anchored in law,” the committee said.

The Kenya National Examinations Council is recruiting Secondary School teachers and college tutors to assess KCSE oral and practical papers.

The assessment of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education will happen between June 6 and July 28.

“The selected professionals will be trained on the job during the assessment of the 2023 KCSE papers,” the commission said in an advertisement.

“Teachers and tutors who are already in the KNEC database of assessors need not apply.”

Recruited professional KCSE examiners will assess papers like Power mechanics, Electricity, Aviation technology, French oral, German oral, Arabic oral, music practical and Kenyan sign language signing practical.

Interested and qualified teachers should be 50 years of age and below, and have a maximum of three years and above experience.

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They should be knowledgeable in the relevant subjects and registered or employed by the Teachers Service Commission or a recognized professional body.

In addition, they should have a diploma or above in education or the relevant area of specialization.

For aviation technology, the applicant must have a diploma in aeronautical engineering.

Applicants have been urged to access the KNEC examiners portal for the application process and more information.

“The slots are limited and only qualified applicants who have presented all the required documents will be shortlisted for the exercise,” reads the advertisement.

You will now pay Sh5 million fine if found sharing national exams on any social media platform.

The Ministry of Education together with the Kenya National Examination Council is in the process of reviewing policies that deal with exam malpractices.

Education CS Ezekiel Machogu decried what he termed as policies that have been overrun by technology.

The team of education stakeholders appeared before the National Assembly Committee on Education and Research.

They were responding to questions surrounding allegations of rampant cheating during the 2022 KCSE exams.

“Knec is in the process of reviewing KNEC Act to update it to current innovations and to strengthen penalties of cheating and malpractice,” Machogu said.

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This is even as the stakeholders maintained their stand that there was no cheating in the exams.

Knec CEO David Njengere said more techniques have evolved over the years which have been adapted to aid in cheating.

He said during the exams, culprits found were arrested and the cases forwarded to the Directorate of Criminal Investigation.

This is currently done through Whatsapp, Facebook and Telegram to share fake papers and potentially early exposure to exams.

“We had almost 14 mobile phones confiscated and we forwarded the case to the relevant authorities,” Njengere said.

The new proposal to deal with cheating practices perpetrated on social media would include penalties for those found guilty of using technology to cheat.

“A person who before or during an examination negligently or willfully assists or causes any examination paper material or information or any part thereof to be shared on any digital platform, commits an offence and is liable upon conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, a fine not exceeding five million shillings or both,” the proposal reads.

Machogu said the existing policy only provides for penalties for possession of unauthorised exam material and sharing with a candidate.

“The new offence as proposed would enable Knec to engage with security agencies and to hold to account those that share or sell fake papers,” he said.

The committee chairperson Julius Melly said as part of the cheating probe, schools will be required to produce mock results.

This, he said, would help in tracking how the students performed in internal exams just before sitting the KCSE exam.

“We want to know what happened to specific cases where schools witnessed positive deviations of more than three,” Melly said.

Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera said the entry behaviour of students in secondary schools should also be monitored.

“We have situations where average day schools where the entry is around 249 marks had a deviation of more than three,” he said.

Marakwet West MP Timothy Torotich said the 2022 KCSE exam results showed an unnatural curve.

“If we have a very abnormal curve then we need to find out what happened. But we will also need to know if schools maintain such kind of performance,” Torotich said.

Luanda MP Dick Maungu said there are examination loopholes that need to be addressed.

He said the holes range from setting exams, administration, and writing marking schemes to the marking process.

“If we have a student who duplicated a marking scheme then it means something was not done correctly in that process,” Maungu said.

Revelations made before the education committee in March proved that indeed there were instances of exam cheating in the 2022 KCSE exams.

Several members of the public including unions, education directors, supervisors and parents admitted to the same.

The members questioned why despite reporting the cases, the affected students still received their results.

Regional head of examinations in Nairobi Gladys Malonza told MPs that on week one of the KCSE exam, a teacher was found in possession of tests on his phone.

“A teacher was arrested sneaking answers for the mid-morning paper having been sent by the school director,” Malonza said.

Upon investigation by the DCI, the teacher was found in possession of undone exam papers for the remaining weeks.

Further, a school in Langata constituency also had a cheating case that involved mobile phones.

“During a computer exam, eight out of the nine students had phones during the theory paper,” she said.

In March, MPs concluded the countrywide probe into alleged exam malpractice in the 2022 KCSE exams.

The government has deployed cybercrime experts as a way of curbing cases of cheating during the forthcoming national examinations.

Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ezekiel Machogu said the experts have the ability to track the origin of any message relayed pertaining to the examinations.

“The Government has deployed cybercrime experts across the country to help monitor the exams. This is aimed at promoting sanctity that the national examinations deserve,” said Machogu.

The CS was speaking during a meeting with examination centre managers from Migori and Homa Bay counties at Homa Bay High School Friday. He said the experts will also help cushion parents and students from conmen selling examination material online.

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The development comes at a time when learners are preparing for three major national examinations, namely the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment which is meant for Grade Six pupils under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

Machogu said those who are found circulating academic materials online in the name of exam leakages will be arrested and punitive action taken against them.

The CS further urged parents, students and teachers to report anybody who circulates such materials to security officials, noting that they had agreed with security officials on how to handle whistleblowers on exam leakages.

Machogu was accompanied by Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Jwan, Kenya National Examination Council CEO David Njeng’ere, Homa Bay County Commissioner Moses Lilan, and County Education Director Eunice Khaemba.

KNEC/EAVEWKCPE/KPSEA/KCSE/HOS/CENTRES/2022/015

i)All Heads of Primary and Secondary Schools Presenting Candidates for 2022 KPSEA: KCPE and KCSE examinations

ii)All Sub County Directors of Education

SUBJECT: HOSTING OF 2022 KPSEA: KCPE AND KCSE EXAMINATION CENTRES WITH LESS THAN 30 CANDIDATES

The Kenya National Examinations Council wishes to bring to your attention the following information with regard to hosting of 2022 KPSEA: KCPE and KCSE examination centres with less than 30 candidates:

1.0 All KPSEA, KCPE, and KCSE examinations centres with less than thirty (30) candidates will be hosted during field administration of the 2022 National examinations. This policy will not apply to Special schools for learners with special needs and disabilities. Such schools will be expected to conduct examinations at their centres.

2.0 All KPSEA examination centres will be hosted in the existing KCPE examination centres with a candidature of thirty (30) and above. However, Primary schools with a combined candidature of thirty (30) and above for both KCPE and KPSEA examinations will be allowed to conduct the examination in their premises on condition that they.

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2.1 have a valid registration certificate from County Education Board;

2.2 have adequate examination classrooms that can accommodate twenty (20) candidates per room with a spacing of 1.22 metres on all sides; Sub-County Directors of Education will be expected to inspect such schools to ensure compliance with the above requirements.

3.0 The host school and the hosted school(s) should be located within the same Sub-County and both should be served from the same Distribution Centre (container).

4.0 The host Head-teacher/ PrincipaI will be the one authorised to collect examination materials from the container, coordinate the conduct of the examination and return the answer scripts to the container during each examination day.

5.0 Schools with less than thirty (30) candidates and are more than five (5) kilometers away from the nearest examination centre must seek special approval from KNEC through the Sub County

Director of Education before 2nd September,2022.

All Sub County Directors of Education (SCDEs) are required to submit the list of host and hosted examination centres in an excel format as per the attached template by 2nd September,2022.

Dr.David Njengere,MBS

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

A member of parliament has asked Education Cs George Magoha to give reasons before the Departmental Committee on Education and Research, why the Kenya national examinations council (KNEC), has not paid invigilators, supervisors, examiners and other personnel who rendered services during the administration and marking of the 2021 Kenya Certificate Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.

The petition by Mp for Bomet Central Hon. Ronald Tonui, who doubles up as kenya union of post primary education teachers (kuppet) national vice treasurer, will give a response to what KNEC contracted professionals country wide have been waiting for. After working for KNEC religiously, the contracted professionals are forced to wait for several months before getting their dues, a tradition that replicates annually.

The petition, booked under order number 7, reads in part, “It is notified that, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 42A (5), the following Member will ask a question for reply before the specified Committee.”

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The petition by Tanui asks the cs to give reasons for the irking delay in paying contracted professionals.

“Could the Cabinet Secretary explain the inordinate delays by the Kenya National Examination Council in making payments to invigilators, supervisors, examiners and other personnel who rendered services during the administration and marking of the 2021 Kenya Certificate Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations?”

It further demands to know when KNEC is intending to pay the contracted professionals.

“When will the officials be paid?” reads the petition.

Already, sources are indicating that the knec examiners and other personnel who offered services during the 2021 KCPE and KCSE exams will be paid in July, once KNEC receives it’s budgetary allocation  for the new financial year.

Grade six, Class eight and form four students who are set to sit their Kenya primary school education assessment (KPSEA), Kenya certificate of primary education (KCPE) and kenya certificate of secondary education (KCSE) respectively in 2022 can now confirm their registration status and details.

The Kenya national examinations council (KNEC) has activated a USSD, which the candidates will send their keyed in details and thereafter receive an sms concerning their registration details. According to KNEC, there have been cases of candidates getting shocked that they have not been registered or registered with wrong details when it’s too late to make any changes. Some male candidates have often found themselves registered as female candidates, some candidates, especially from private schools have always found themselves unregistered, among other cases.

The essence of this USSD therefore is to identify mistakes in registration and inform KNEC in time for timely action.

“Kindly inform all the 2022 KPSEA, KCPE, KCSE and KCSE QUALIFYING TEST Candidates that they can confirm their registration details by sending an SMS to 20076 in the following format, ” reads a memo KNEC from KNEC to the county directors of education, who will in turn pass the information to the heads of institutions.

How to check your KPSEA/ KCPE / KCSE Registration Status

• In your message filed, TYPE EXAM, followed by your full index number or assessment number ( for grade six candidates )

EXAM [INDEXNUMBER] / ASSESSMENT NUMBER]

Example: KCPE 01011701091

• Send the message to 20076.

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EXPECTED OUTPUT:

01011701091 M MAISHA SAMSON MAKALU MAT ENG KIS SCI SST CRE KNEC HELPLINE 0800724900

KCSE Candidates are urged to check the subjects they registered for well, especially elective subjects.

Parents/Guardians/Care Givers of Candidates as well as the candidates should be able to check their Gender, Names and the papers they have been registered for from the output.

The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE)2021 results are ready. The marking of the exams ended on Tuesday.

A number of examiners have shared some hints of the results. According to some who shared with us some tips they said the standardization for mathematics is 0.85 while that for science is 0.84.

What this means is for example if a candidate scores 40 ticks in mathematics this means the maximum of 40 ticks will be 40 multiplied by 2 multiplied by 0.85 to get 68% and if he or she scores 50 ticks it becomes 85%.

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No Single Paper Has Been Leaked, Magoha

According to examiners who confidential details of the exams from the examiners, said standardization for Mathematics is 85% Science 84% Social studies and Religion 86% English 97% while Kiswahili 97%.

They said English and Kiswahili were well performed with most learners scoring good marks.

According to the markers this year’s KCPE results will be better than the previous year.

However, these are speculations and we are still waiting for official announcements of the KCPE results.

Yesterday, Education Cabinet Secretary Prof.George Magoha urged parents to start preparing their children for form one admission.

Speaking in Vihiga county after inspecting the ongoing KCSE examinations, Magoha said the next focus is on transition to secondary schools.

“In terms of the marking of the primary school exams I think we are about to complete; we have targets and the targets are met. I’ll start now looking for H1 because we have to first start discussing the results with him, then we shall release the results to our children,”Magoha said yesterday.

“They should start preparing, let the parents prepare their children for form 1 admission, “he added.

Earlier on both Magoha and Early Learning and Basic Education PS Julius Jwan had assured of early release of the results to allow smooth transition to secondary school.

“We are determined to ensure no time is lost. Marking of exams will be concluded within a short while and results released to allow students to proceed to secondary education by May,” Juan had said.

Magoha had said the official release of the 2021 KCPE results will be done any day between Wednesday and Saturday this week.

CS Magoha who was speaking in Kayole during inspection of KCSE examinations said the announcement date will largely depend on availability of his excellency the President.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha brokered a truce between the Teachers Service Commission and a leading tutors’ unions, which averted a strike that could have paralysed national examinations.

The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) had last month given TSC seven days to respond to its demands over a pay rise or face industrial action.

With exams around the corner, the CS intervened and advised Kuppet to engage their employer in more talks to ensure the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) go on uninterrupted.

Speaking at Karibaribi Secondary School in Kiambu County yesterday, where he commissioned a new classroom, the CS urged the unions to exhaust all other methods before considering a strike.

“Chapter 15 of the constitution gives the TSC unfettered freedom to deal with Kuppet, but I reached out to the union to call off the strike. We have agreed that we are not going to use our children as pawns,’’ Prof Magoha said.

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Kuppet wants TSC to revive talks on the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) they signed last year. The agreement contains a curious clause that bars unions from calling a strike without seeking permission from the employer.

“As the commission is well aware, the consequences of the remaining options may be dire,” Kuppet secretary-general Akello Misori had warned last month.

Kuppet has been pushing for a revision of the CBA to raise salaries by between 30 and 70 per cent, saying the economy has recovered from the slump caused by the Covid-19 pandemic when they signed the deal.

Kuppet wants the lowest teacher to be paid a basic salary of Sh59,425 per month up from Sh34,955 and a chief principal to take home Sh153,715 up from Sh118,242.

TSC has, however, been reluctant to engage in negotiations. Last week, it asked the union to give it time to consult other government agencies. It also cited the need to ensure the examinations are not interrupted.

“The commission regrets the tone of your letter and the threat to industrial action at this early stage. It is our very considered view that the same is not only premature but also unwarranted,” wrote Mr Cavin Anyuor, the TSC director for legal affairs, labour and industrial relations.

“We call upon [Kuppet] to consider the national interests of the country and review its position on the matter,” he added.

Prof Magoha yesterday assured parents and candidates that all the security arrangements have been put in place in all areas plagued by insecurity to ensure that the exams proceed smoothly.

Famed night runner Jack Songo has threatened to sue Education CS George Magoha and the Kenyan National Examination Council (Knec) for making him fail his national exams in 2019.

Songo, who hails from Homa Bay County, sat his KCSE in 2019 and got a C- but claims he would have performed better had he been allowed to sit the papers at night since “I am a nocturnal person.”

He says the creativity and productivity of a night runner’s brain is best at night and not in broad daylight like everyone else.

“I demand to sit exams at night. An expert night runner does not see well during the day. He sees clearly at night,” he said.

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Songo, who made headlines in 2015 after he claimed to have founded a national lobby to safeguard the interests of night runners, says he will leave no stone unturned in his efforts to take action against Magoha and the exam council. He says he has enrolled to sit KCSE again next month.

“If Magoha and Knec do not allow me to sit the papers at night, we will meet in court,” he declared. “I must go to court to sue Knec, especially Magoha.”

Songo, however, would not disclose the name of the school where he is set to sit the forthcoming KCSE, saying: “I can’t give details because there are people who will come after me. In the past, getting an admission into a school was a problem because many teachers and PTA officials discriminated me.”

He further criticised Magoha for failing to ensure he attends physical education classes under the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) to improve his acrobatic skills.

Addressing journalists and his fans in Ndhiwa Sub-county this week, Songo chided the Department of Social Services for failing to register his association. He says under the 2010 Constitution, the government is under obligation to recognize everyone’s unique contribution to nation building.

Between 2017 and this year, Songo has attended at least 10 national holiday celebrations where he got the opportunity to market his trade and mobilise fellow night runners to join his association.

Among his demands is that the Nightrunners Association be allowed to register as a society and be given unrestricted access to the National Youth Fund alongside other public funds in the form of loans or grants.

Defending his trade, Songo says society should embrace night runners “because they are friendly and in some way offer security to the community as they patrol homes and farms when everyone is dead asleep at night.”

In June 2016, Songo became a wanted man after local leaders and residents of Homa Bay County accused him of predisposing the county’s name to ridicule. At a charged meeting at Pala Koguta in South Kabuoch location, elders led by the late politician Aketch Chieng’ threatened to excommunicate him. Governor Cyprian Awiti even urged local youths not to associate with Songo.

Songo, who says his official name is Moses Okinyi, was given a one-week ultimatum to renounce night running or be thrown out, but a clever Songo retreated to a neighboring county only to return after the storm had died down.

In many African cultures, night runners hardly own up to the practice and can barely discuss their trade, raising questions as to whether Songo is a rabble-rouser or merely suffering from an identity crisis.