President Uhuru Kenyatta has assured all candidates that forth coming national examinations will be fair and more secure than ever before. The President said the government was committed to promoting the quality and integrity in the country’s education system.
He encouraged this year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education and the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education candidates to do adequate preparations.
“I wish to assure you that this year’s examinations will be, even more fair and secure than ever before,” said the President during the 2018 Kenya National Music Festivals finalists concert at Sagana State Lodge in Nyeri County on Friday.
PREPARE ADEQUATELY
The President said the grades each candidate gets will be a true reflection of their performance. “You have nothing to fear if you have prepared adequately,” he added. He said the character of the students is more important than the grades they eventually get in examinations. “You are not a factor of your grades, you are a factor of your character,” said the Head of State.
To promote music, the President announced plans to allow tax-free importation of musical equipment to ensure most learning institutions easily acquire them. He said the high cost of the instruments was a major hindrance for schools to teach music.
WINNING TEAMS
The President also announced that a request by the Kenya National Music Festival Executive Committee for a budgetary allocation, divorced from the Ministry of Education, would be considered.
The event brought together 27 teams drawn from across the country. The 27 winning finalists were sampled from a total of 600 categories that participated in the 11-day annual event at Dedan Kimathi University. The event brought together performances from all levels of education from the Early Childhood Development pupils to university students.
In the spirit of regional cooperation, the President said he was delighted that over the last two years, the ministries of Education in Kenya and Uganda had run an exchange programme under the East African Music, Dance and Drama Festivals.
PAN AFRICANISM
“I will continue to push for even more African countries to join us in this programme because I believe in and cherish pan-Africanism,” he said. He added: “Once other partner states get on board, we shall be on the way to attaining cultural integration, and the quicker the better. The President said music and dance have the power to bring people together, to bridge divides and to create a common identity. President Kenyatta said the music industry has the potential to become a big multi-million business.
NURTURE TALENT
He urged media houses and the corporates to support and nurture the talent of the young people. “As a government, we will secure and promote consumption of local content, through legislative interventions that will ensure and promote market access for our artists,” said the President. He asked schools to nurture talent of learners who exhibit love for art because the government lays more emphasis on holistic education.