Grade 6 and Class 8 learners are now ready for their final national exams and assessments after having their rehearsals yesterday on 25th November 2022.

The supervisors and invigilators took the candidates through the KPSEA and KCPE instructions, guidelines and penalties of the exams and assessments set to start next week.

The Grade 6 and Class 8 candidates will have their KPSEA and KCPE exams and assessments starting 28th November to 30th November 2022.

However during the yesterdays rehearsals five serious challenges were raised and noted by the examination officers who were deployed in various examination centres.

1. Shortage of Supervisors

For the first time a Supervisor will be incharge of two different examinations for different classes. It was revealed that only one Supervisor was deployed to man both the KPSEA and KCPE examinations. This some teachers say can fuel exam malpractices especially in centres with many candidates.

2. Unprepared Grade 6 learners

Some invigilators and supervisors said they found out that some Grade 6 learners are not prepared to shade their answers the right way on the sampled KPSEA answer scripts.

After distributing samples of KPSEA answer scripts they found out that some schools did not prepare the learners for multiple choice examinations by providing the learners with answer scripts for practicing earlier ahead of the national assessments.

A number of KPSEA candidates were putting the mark outside the required areas in the answer scripts.

The Grade 6 exams will be marked electronically using specialized machines called Optical Mark Recognition (OMR). The OMR captures marked data from candidates’ answer sheets using specialized scanning. 

In some remote schools in ASAL areas it was also revealed that the class 8 learners also have never encountered how a KCPE answer script looks like.

3. Learners hosted in distanced schools

During rehearsals it was revealed that some schools travelled very long distance with their Grade 6 and Class 8 learners to get to the hosting examination centre.

Some schools also said they received information very late that their candidates will be hosted in a particular school.

This they said is posing a very serious issue with regard to transport, accommodation and meals especially in areas experiencing serious hunger and drought.

Some school heads said Grade 6 learners are very young and that it was not fair to host them in very distanced schools.

4. Invigilators and Supervisors failed to show up

Some invigilators and supervisors did not show up during rehearsal day as required. In some centres missing invigilators were immediately replaced. The centre managers and Curriculum Support Officers (CSOs) made abrupt changes.

When contacted some invigilators who failed to show up said the centres they were deployed to are very far and that they cannot manage due to their current financial status.

A number of supervisors were informed that they are no longer going to supervise after their centres were merged and an order issued that only one supervisor will man both KPSEA and KCPE exams.

5. Invigilators and Supervisors lacking Deployment letters

Upon deployment, a teachers selected as invigilator or supervisor must log in to Knec CP2 portal and download deployment letters.

The deployment letter is the official agreement between the invigilator or supervisor and Knec. However most invigilators and supervisors lacked the document saying their was serious problem with Knec system that made it impossible to download the letter.

Teachers who fail to register on Knec CP2 platform risk missing payments for their invigilation and supervision service.

Grade 6 and Class 8 learners are now ready for their final national exams and assessments after having their rehearsals yesterday on 25th November 2022.

The supervisors and invigilators took the candidates through the KPSEA and KCPE instructions, guidelines and penalties of the exams and assessments set to start next week.

The Grade 6 and Class 8 candidates will have their KPSEA and KCPE exams and assessments starting 28th November to 30th November 2022.

However during the yesterdays rehearsals five serious challenges were raised and noted by the examination officers who were deployed in various examination centres.

1. Shortage of Supervisors

For the first time a Supervisor will be incharge of two different examinations for different classes. It was revealed that only one Supervisor was deployed to man both the KPSEA and KCPE examinations. This some teachers say can fuel exam malpractices especially in centres with many candidates.

2. Unprepared Grade 6 learners

Some invigilators and supervisors said they found out that some Grade 6 learners are not prepared to shade their answers the right way on the sampled KPSEA answer scripts.

After distributing samples of KPSEA answer scripts they found out that some schools did not prepare the learners for multiple choice examinations by providing the learners with answer scripts for practicing earlier ahead of the national assessments.

A number of KPSEA candidates were putting the mark outside the required areas in the answer scripts.

The Grade 6 exams will be marked electronically using specialized machines called Optical Mark Recognition (OMR). The OMR captures marked data from candidates’ answer sheets using specialized scanning. 

In some remote schools in ASAL areas it was also revealed that the class 8 learners also have never encountered how a KCPE answer script looks like.

3. Learners hosted in distanced schools

During rehearsals it was revealed that some schools travelled very long distance with their Grade 6 and Class 8 learners to get to the hosting examination centre.

Some schools also said they received information very late that their candidates will be hosted in a particular school.

This they said is posing a very serious issue with regard to transport, accommodation and meals especially in areas experiencing serious hunger and drought.

Some school heads said Grade 6 learners are very young and that it was not fair to host them in very distanced schools.

4. Invigilators and Supervisors failed to show up

Some invigilators and supervisors did not show up during rehearsal day as required. In some centres missing invigilators were immediately replaced. The centre managers and Curriculum Support Officers (CSOs) made abrupt changes.

When contacted some invigilators who failed to show up said the centres they were deployed to are very far and that they cannot manage due to their current financial status.

A number of supervisors were informed that they are no longer going to supervise after their centres were merged and an order issued that only one supervisor will man both KPSEA and KCPE exams.

5. Invigilators and Supervisors lacking Deployment letters

Upon deployment, a teachers selected as invigilator or supervisor must log in to Knec CP2 portal and download deployment letters.

The deployment letter is the official agreement between the invigilator or supervisor and Knec. However most invigilators and supervisors lacked the document saying their was serious problem with Knec system that made it impossible to download the letter.

Teachers who fail to register on Knec CP2 platform risk missing payments for their invigilation and supervision service.