KNUT, Raila criticise handling of 2016 KCSE and KCPE exams

CORD leader Raila Odinga has joined the teachers union, KNUT, in calling for a comprehensive audit of 2016 KCPE and KCSE exam administration, marking and processing.

In a statement from Ghana, the former premier has demanded for the formation of a commission of inquiry to handle the probe and establish why the 2016 exam results recorded unprecedented failure, with about 489,000 of the candidates unable to proceed to university.

“To have only 141 students from just a handful of schools scoring As while 33,399 score Es is abnormal and requires not a celebration but some serious reflection by education policy makers,” read Raila’s statement.

“This is the first time we have had such a massive failure at the secondary school level since 1963. Eliminating cheating, corruption and mismanagement alone cannot adequately explain this weird outcome,” argued Raila.

No standardization and moderation

On their part, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has faulted the grading system used by the government in the 2016 KCSE exams saying there was no standardization and moderation done at all, and KNUT claims that the exams were hurriedly marked and released.

A KNUT analysis of the 2016 examination results released by Education CS Fred Matiangi shows that the step of normalizing grades was missing in the 2016 KCSE exam, hence raw marks were graded and the grading system used was not known at all.

The analysis further states that examiners were not allowed consulting on the wide range of the marks before awarding them to students, and in some subjects a pre-determined highest mark to be given was set.

KNUT now says the marking scheme was deliberately fashioned to fail students as no student scored “A” in English countrywide.

The Union body now wants the 2016 KCSE results recalled to allow moderation by the chief examiners in order to ensure credible grades of all the 2016 KCSE candidates.

While questioning why no one has been arrested or taken to court, Raila called for disciplinary action against those who are culpable in perpetrating the candidate’s mass failure.

KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion has already stated that the union will petition Parliament to probe the 2016 KCSE exam results.