Marking of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exam scripts will begin this week as the test comes to an end on Wednesday.
Basic Education PS Julius Jwan on Friday said marking will be done by teachers contracted by the Kenya National Examination Council.
The exercise will involve at least 27,284 markers and will be conducted in about 40 national schools distributed in the defunct eight regions.
Traditionally, the marking exercise takes a month, if this is anything to go by, the candidates will expect their results somewhere in mid-May.
On Thursday, Teachers Service Commission said it would organise transport to and out of the marking centres.
Teachers Service Commission (TSC) CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia asked teachers taking part in marking of KCSE exams to get vaccinated before travelling to Nairobi for the exercise.
She said teachers should visit the 622 vaccine centres to get vaccinated.
Macharia announced that at least 154 teachers have died since the Covid-19 pandemic struck the country in March 2020.
“We have lost three deputy head teachers and eight head teachers to the pandemic,” she said.
Macharia said going forward, the commission has come up with measures to protect all teachers from the virus.
“First we instructed our medical health insurance provider to cover all teachers against Covid-related ailments which they have since complied with,” Macharia said.
Macharia on Monday said the special pass will allow examiners to travel to locations they will be posted for the exercise.
Macharia congratulated teachers for braving the pandemic to ensure the national exams are a success.
PS Julius Jwan said that arrangements are in place to ensure teachers involved in KCSE marking exercise get to marking centres safely.
KCSE examination markers will be given special passes allowing them in and out of five counties under lockdown during the marking exercise.
President Uhuru Kenyatta directed cessation of movement in five counties of Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Kajiado and Nakuru.
The marking of the exam will involve 27,248 examiners.
Knec data shows that 752,933 candidates were registered to sit this year’s KCSE exam in 10,437 centres.
Education CS George Magoha said on Friday that all security measures are in place ahead of the marking process.
The CS also announced that transport arrangements are in place for students travelling in and out of areas where movement is restricted to stem infection of the Covid-19.
President Uhuru last week directed all teachers and support staff, irrespective of their ages, to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
Initially, only teachers above 50 were eligible for vaccination.
The directive was made public by CS Magoha during the announcement of the 2020 KCPE exam results, shortly after meeting the President at State House in Nairobi.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers wants the exam agency to raise marking fees for each script by at least Sh50, citing the present harsh economic times.
Kuppet argues that papers like Chemistry Paper 1, Mathematics and English Paper 1 should each be paid at not less than Sh100.
Presently marking each paper attracts between Sh51 to Sh58.
