CS Amina spells out measures against exam cheating

The Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) has announced a raft of measures to reduce cases of exam cheating.

Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed who spoke during a meeting in Nairobi has prohibited parents from visiting their children in boarding schools during this term.

“All parents must desist from visiting their children in boarding schools this term, parents whose children will be found with mobile phones will personally be held responsible for the actions,” said Amina.

But as efforts to curb examination irregularities intensify, cartels hawking fake papers are still at large and a thorn in the flesh for the ministry.

“As early as this morning, there were parents trying to buy fake papers… I don’t know why we believe in fake people instead of believing the right channels,” said Education PS Dr. Belio Kipsang.

KNEC Chairman prof. George Magoha assured: “The examination process is sacrosanct, it has not leaked and it will not leak.”

The government is consulting with the Teachers Service Commission and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) in order to avert attempts to affect the examinations. Teachers had threatened to down their tools should TSC fail to address their grievances.

The ministry has further completed an audit of all candidates recently displaced in Nairobi’s Kibera slums, Narok and Nakuru counties. A majority of the affected students have been placed in neighbouring schools to sit for the exams.

Class 8 candidates are set to sit their examinations from October 30 to November 1 while those in Form 4 are due for rehearsals on November 2 with examinations scheduled to start on November 5.

A total of 1,000,759 candidates will sit KCPE while 664,586 Form Four students will sit their KCSE exam this year.

Additional reporting by Makori Ongechi