Two Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education candidates from Nairobi have been nabbed with cellphones as Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha warned teachers against leakages.
Speaking during the opening of KCSE exams in Nyali, Mombasa, the CS assured parents and other stakeholders the exams will be credible.
“We will be soft on the two students nabbed with cell phones and allow them to take exams. But I want to warn that any teacher who feels they are is brave enough to open the second paper that we shall come for you like we did in Wajir,” said the CS.
Prof Magoha said the delivery of credible exams using multi agency team in collaborative with Ministries of Interior and Coordination of National Government and ICT had been successful since 2016, terming it a legacy.
On Monday, he oversaw the start of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE) exams in Mombasa County.
While overseeing the opening of the exams container at Nyali Deputy County Commissioner’s office in Mombasa, the CS said his ministry was keen on stopping any exam malpractices adding that officials are alert as he singled out teachers saying the government will be firm in taking disciplinary action against those found abetting cheating.
“A teacher who steals exams cannot be intelligent. We will not have mercy this time round on those we will arrest. This time round, because of our children, we shall be quasi dictatorial,” the CS said, adding that:
“The guiltier are teachers, some of whom are traders and crooks and we dismantled their cartel in primary schools but they have formed another one. This morning in Nairobi we have two students found with cell phones but we will be soft and allow them to sit the exam.”
Prof Magoha said delivering credible exams was a prerogative of the government, and such efforts that would enable that will be implemented.
“This being my last examination, I would want to [tell] Kenyans that we developed the container system that has delivered credible results. Our qualifications are respected worldwide. The incoming administration should know that no condition is permanent, but our children being in school is and therefore should not change the existing plans because they don’t like the person who initiated it,” he said.
On CBC classroom buildings, the CS said the project was 83 percent complete across the country.
Five counties have a 100 percent completion rate and another 19 over 90 percent.
“For those counties who have not reached 100 percent, we will allow coordinated approaches where they will complete and go. In another two weeks, we will have delivered 6, 447 classrooms. We have completed close to 4,000 and handed over 2, 500 of them,” he said.