End of an era as last KCPE class sits exams

When learners in Standard 8 step into their classrooms on Friday this week for rehearsal ahead of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination, it will mark the end of era that millions of Kenyans have varying memories of.

KCPE examinations have for 38 years defined the education space in Kenya in the way learners are taught, the preparations, administration of the tests and the celebrations or disappointment that follows release of the results.

For many, the examination stood between dreams of admission to prestigious schools and the reality that they were only good enough for district or ‘harambee’ schools. This, in effect, had a hand in their academic progression and ultimately careers later in life.

So punitive was the examination in its early years that it ended formal schooling for many.

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For Juma Namlola, duty editor at the Nation Media Group’s newsdesk who was among the pioneers of the 8-4-4 when it was introduced in 1985, news of the introduction of KCPE came with disappointment as it meant remaining in primary school for one more year instead sitting the Certificate of Primary Education at the end of Standard 7.

The wait proved worthwhile.

“Growing up in a rural village in Kwale, I hadn’t come across ironing of clothes. Introduction of Home Science within a short period of time was both a challenge and an adventure. We had to move to neighbouring villages knocking on doors to borrow a charcoal iron box. I remember the whole class borrowing our deputy headmaster’s black shoes to learn how to polish them,” he said.

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In the 1985 KCPE examination results, then Minister for Education, Science and Technology Prof Jonathan Ng’eno announced Naeem Samanakay as the top candidate nationally. Samanakay received a four-year scholarship at Alliance High School and went on to emerge the best candidate in the first Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations in 1989.

This year, eyes will be on cabinet secretary Ezekiel Machogu to name the history maker who will top the last KCPE edition.

Special diets

It was also customary for some parents to have special treatment for their children sitting the examinations and this included preparation of special meals. I sat the examinations at Nyangwa Primary School in Mbeere South, which had a mixture of day scholars and boarders. As boarders, we missed the special home-made meals but it also spared us the discomfort that some of our colleagues had after stuffing themselves with foods unfamiliar to their guts.

Jean Nashebanda, now a teacher, eagerly waited the KCPE examination as it would bring with it some benefits.

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“The idea of wearing skirts as uniform from tunics was exciting. The exam was fair. The best part was receiving success cards with a monetary token and taking photographs after the papers,” she said.

Others have memories of the fear of having to write the examinations in the presence of armed police officers.

The KCPE examination became so ingrained in the Kenyan culture that it became an unwritten rule that boys from communities that circumcise would undergo the rite of passage immediately after the examinations as they await the results.

“This now presents a challenge for me and my son. I feel like he’s too young to circumcise when he’s in Grade Six and again will be too old if we wait for him to complete Grade Nine before he goes to senior school. I guess we’ll have to find a compromise,” said David Kigen, a parent in Nairobi.

So much has changed over the years. This year, the Kenya National Examinations Council has registered 1,415,315 candidates for the KCPE examinations, the largest number ever as the candidature has been growing every year. In 1985 the number was 360,100.

From October 30 to November 1, 2023, KCPE candidates will sit five papers and will attempt to score the maximum 500 marks. This is in contrast with the first group that was graded out of 600 marks before the subjects were increased to seven in 1989 and the maximum score raised to 700.

Ranking was not only on individual performance but also collectively. Schools were ranked as were districts. For many years, the top-performing list of districts included Nyandarua, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Makueni and Koibatek, to name a few.

The journey the KCPE examinations have travelled is also the journey of Kenya. When the candidates go for the rehearsal on Friday, stickers bearing their photos and index numbers will be stuck on their desks, a significant change from when the index numbers would be written on the desks using the teacher’s chalk.

Technological advancements have cut the time between the announcement of results by the minister and when the candidates received them. District education officers would collect the results printouts from Nairobi and then headteachers would pick them up. Many of them would photocopy the printout and pin it on the school noticeboard. However, when Mr Machogu announces the results, candidates will be able to access their scores within minutes directly on their mobile phones.

We wish all the 2023 KCPE candidates success in their examinations. May you bring down the curtains in style.

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