The national examinations agency has been called out for persistent exam leaks.
The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) was charged yesterday by the National Assembly’s Education Committee of actively aiding examination leaks, notably in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination.
In its preliminary conclusions, the committee accused KNEC officials of conspiring with school administrators and parents to sell examination papers.
Committee chairman Julius Melly has warned that the culprits will face harsh punishment when the committee’s conclusions are presented to Parliament in the next two months.
The committee also linked examples of cheating to the pressure put on principals by their employer, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), to produce high results in order to be promoted.
This, he added, forces teachers to go above and beyond, including purchasing exam papers, in order to reach their expectations.
“We want to investigate the extent at which the cheating went. The decision will be tough, we will make sure that this cheating stops. We are collecting views from the public so that we can know where exam cheating gaps are and can seal them. We are also here to find out if certain schools were awarded marks more than others in the just concluded KCSE exam,” said Melly.
“We will summon KNEC officials to come to the committee and explain why they leaked papers. We will eliminate this problem once and for all,” Melly added.
Melly stated that the committee will make recommendations for severe measures against anyone found responsible.
Melly stated that the committee will go over the KNEC laws again to close any gaps that allow for exam cheating.
The committee also linked examples of cheating to the pressure put on principals by their employer, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), to produce high results in order to be promoted.
This, he added, forces teachers to go above and beyond, including purchasing exam papers, in order to reach their expectations.
Melly stated that the committee will make recommendations for severe measures against anyone found responsible.
Yesterday, the committee was told that some schools pay as much as Sh1 million for exam leaks in order to maintain their position as intellectual giants in the country.“We have noted that some students deliberately commit offences so that they can be suspended, then they go out of their way to buy exam papers. These are the ones who sneak leakages to their fellow students. As school heads, we want to be helped because the law does not allow us to deregister (candidates),” said Khamadi.
The MPs were also informed that marking plans were leaked and distributed to students before to tests via well-coordinated schemes and networks of persons.
It has also been revealed that teachers who design tests collaborate with principals of some of the country’s best public and private schools to leak questions that would appear in final national exams.
The Kilindini chapter of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), led by secretary Dan Aloo, asked fair compensation for teachers who mark exams in order to inspire and shield them from interference.
