Pupils overcame odds to pass, help them progress

The release of this year’s Standard Eight examinations marks a major milestone in the education sector. It demonstrates that, despite the disruptions and devastations precipitated by Covid-19, the sector held together. Candidates, teachers and education administrators displayed remarkable resilience. 

Schools were closed for 10 months. Examination classes — Form Four and Standard Eight — only resumed in October to complete the syllabus and sit the tests last month. Unlike those before them, they didn’t have time to properly prepare.

Covid-19 presented unprecedented shocks. Families lost loved ones. Households were pushed to poverty as employers laid off staff when businesses tumbled due to prolonged lockdown and movement restrictions that curtailed trade.

They still overcame the challenges. It was triumph over adversity. For starters, majority of the candidates survived and sat the exams. A total of 1,179,192 candidates wrote the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam, a slight increase over the previous year’s 1,083,456. Even so, the number of candidates who missed out nearly doubled — to 12,533, from 6,272 previously.

The top candidate scored 433 marks, compared to 440 in 2019. Overall, there were 8,091 candidates who scored 400 marks and above; in 2019, they were 9,673. Looked at against the prevailing circumstances, the variances were not so grave; in fact, they are understandable.

A significant point is that the number of girls enrolling for KCPE continued to rise. Statistically, there were 590,450 boys (50.07 per cent) and 588,742 (49.93) girls, representing near-gender parity. Moreover, there were 20 counties with higher numbers of girls compared to boys who sat the exam.

Importantly, the best candidate this year is a girl: Faith Kawi Mumo, from Mwailu Primary School in Makueni County, a public institution. The second and third slots also went to girls. Among the top 15 slots, girls scooped eight, among them three from public schools. The implication is that competition between the sexes is evening out, which is important. Every effort should be made to narrow gender gaps at every level.

Stellar performance

However, concern still persists that boys outperform girls in mathematics and sciences, which are essential for access to lucrative careers at higher levels and, consequently, better placement in the socioeconomic ladder. Girls were better at English, Kiswahili and Kenya Sign Language. Reversing the performance trends in subjects is paramount.

Another salient feature was the stellar performance of public schools. Of the top 15 candidates, 10 were from public schools. This gives confidence that public schools have what it takes to excel despite the fact that most of them are poorly equipped compared to the private ones.

As explained by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha, a number of initiatives by the government, including injecting Covid-19 relief funds to schools, helped to mitigate the ravages of the pandemic and boosted their performance. More interventions will be required in the coming months to help public schools to recover and put them on the pedestal to continuously perform well.

But there is a reason to worry about the 260,000-plus candidates who scored below 200 marks. They are ill-prepared to progress to higher levels of formal education. Which is not to imply that they cannot succeed in life. What it means is that they need proper attention as they seek opportunities in secondary and technical and vocational training centres. 

Another troubling matter is cheating. Although, the figures were low — five cases of impersonation and seven candidates found with written materials — exam cheating is a vice that must be stamped out. It destroys an education system and tarnishes the name of a country.

With the release of KCPE results, the next stage is Form One admission. In terms of scheduling, selection will commence on May 28 and the Form Ones will report to school in July. They will stay a little longer as other classes complete the disrupted academic year.

These are pains that parents have to live with. But they should not destroy the spirit.  
However, it is reassuring that all the Standard Eight candidates will transit to secondary or other levels of education and training. A country that seeks to prosper must not allow its youngsters to fall off the learning grid; they must progress.