Posts
"The examinations
council has ruled out the possibility of suspending national exams,
putting on a brave face despite extensive evidence of cheating." continues AllAfrica.com
 |
| Photo: FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
On Saturday, the
Kenya National Examinations Council boss Joseph Kivilu brushed aside
pressure from the clergy and the political class to call off the Kenya
Certificate of Secondary Education examinations.
Critics say the integrity of the process has been compromised and the exams should be pushed to early next year.
"I wish to assure
Kenyans that the examinations are secure and will continue as scheduled.
All the papers were successfully done despite the alleged unauthorised
release of papers done this week," he declared.
The step by the
council came after lengthy discussions amid reports that the option of
cancelling the exercise was fast gaining currency in the ministry of
education corridors.
The move would have been the first case in the country's history in which national exams had been pushed forward.
The Knec boss, on Saturday, was adamant that what had been circulating were not genuine exam papers.
Despite Dr Kivilu's assertions, some of the questions that have been circulated before exams turned out to be genuine.
CRISIS MEETING
In the course of
the week, reporters from the Daily Nation bought questions for the
Mathematics paper, which the seller said would be administered on
Thursday.
The questions were sold for Sh1,000 and some aligned with the actual examination.
Dr Kivilu also warned students who could have benefited from cheating that they would be exposed during marking.
"Our examiners will
be extra keen to single out coached answers. We have a foolproof method
of detecting cheating. I wish to assure the Cabinet and Kenyan public
that the council is always concerned about the issues of validity and
reliability of national exams. We will do what is within our powers to
ensure examinations remain credible," he said...
WIDESPREAD CHEATING
Such a move could plunge the future of about 500,000 candidates into uncertainty and confusion.
The assurance by
the exam boss means the candidates will sit Mathematics paper II Monday
as planned followed by History paper I and Agriculture paper I on
Tuesday.
Other examinations lined up for the week are Chemistry paper I, General Science, Religious education, Kiswahili and Physics.
Reports of
widespread cheating in the ongoing examinations have triggered serious
questions over whether teachers could be sabotaging the process after
government refused to pay them their September salaries following a work
stoppage...
In the Kenyan
system of education, the one-off KCSE exam is the ultimate decider of
the path a student will take after high school.
Courses such as medicine, engineering and actuarial science absorb students with straight As.
Those who unfairly obtain question papers spend sleepless nights cramming answers to the questions.
Source: AllAfrica.com
