Examinations for the 1.7 million KCPE and KCSE candidates are ready and will be dispatched countrywide a few days to the start of the tests. In a marked departure from previous years, examination booklets will be dispatched to schools this month for centre managers to check if the materials are adequate ahead of the schedulled dates.
The materials will be distributed to sub-county directors of education who will issue them to centre managers, supervisors and invigilators in a new plan to beat last minute confusion.
Yesterday, it emerged examination question papers and related materials will be dispatched from the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) offices to the distribution points (containers) a few days to the start. The details are contained in a brief by Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) Chief Executive Officer Mercy Karogo.
Multi-agency approach
The brief by Karogo will form the core of week-long regional meetings that will bring together Ministry of Education officials, regional security officers and all school heads.
Basic Education PS Belio Kipsang has instructed allregional coordinators of education to ensure all the primary and secondary school heads, county and sub-county directors of education and examination supervisors attend the briefings. The briefings will start September 3 (Monday) and will be chaired by county commissioners at county level and deputy county commissioners at sub-county level. Sub-county examination officers, police officers in charge of the sub-county (OCPD) and deputy administration police commandants (DAPC) will also attend.
The briefing is part of the multi-agency approach to the management of the examinations. Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has already instructed teachers that there will be no room for errors this year. Some 1.7 million candidates will sit the primary and secondary examinations this year. Of these, 1,060,703 will sit KCPE with 664,585 sitting KCSE. KCPE examinations will be done across 27,161 cantres. KCSE will be done in 10,077 centres. Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed said the ban on third term school activities will remain in force. Last week, Knec Chairman George Magoha said the council has prepared adequately for the administration of the examinations. “We have done very well so far. Everything is in place in readiness for the administration of examinations,” said Magoha. Saturday Standard has now established that with only two months to the start of the examinations, Knec is now focusing on administration. Finer details show that this year, unlike the practice previously, all question papers will not be kept in staffrooms or any other place other than the examination rooms in the full glare of candidates, invigilators, security and supervisors. Sources revealed that the decision was arrived at after it emerged that some schools had established command centres to access and leak examination material. Under the arrangement, some schools are said to have planned to open examination papers in an elaborate plan involving invigilators, school heads and security officers. Knec has warned that no question papers will be opened before the scheduled time and that invigilators and teachers are not allowed to write examinations for any candidates at any given time.
