Magoha assures candidates on security as exams begin
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha who on February 28, 2022 said that adequate security officers have been deployed in the volatile areas to ensure national exams proceed as scheduled.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has assured parents and candidates in areas plagued by insecurity that the government has put in place measures to ensure national exams proceed as scheduled.
Speaking at Kahuhia Girls High School in Murang’a County Monday, where he commissioned a new classroom, Prof Magoha said adequate security officers have been deployed in the volatile areas to ensure the candidates are safe.
The CS dismissed claims that the government was planning to postpone exams in some parts of the country, especially North Eastern, Coast and the Rift valley.
“I want to calm our candidates so they can sit their exams in peace. Ignore rumours that there will be problems in some parts of the country. The government has taken firm action to ensure the exams are administered well. We have enough security,” Prof Magoha said.
KCPE rehearsals
Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates will do their rehearsals this Friday and sit the exams from Monday to Wednesday next week.
Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) practicals started Monday whereas the main examination will run from March 14 and end on April 1 2022.
Prof Magoha said security organs have given the examination process a clean bill of health and monitoring would continue to ensure it does not leak.
The CS said the containers holding examination materials are under guard round-the-clock and any papers that may be in circulation being passed as copies of the test papers are fake.
“The exams that we are going to present to you have been designed in a very friendly manner that factors in all the challenges that were at play during the Covid-19 containment measures,” Prof Magoha said.
“We know that the cartels that specialise in selling fake examination materials are at work. If you want to do business with them, it is up to you,” he added.
Change of government
The CS said the change of government after the general election in August will not affect educational programmes.
“The fact that my team and I shall not be there doesn’t really matter. The children are well taken care of as per the constitution. In terms of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) being there or not, I think that’s an issue that Kenyans will decide as time goes on. From my personal perspective, it’s important because it’s learner-oriented, it gives them skills, it’s not exam-oriented,” he said.
The CBC has come under criticism from some stakeholders and there is a pending case in court filed by a parent seeking to stop it. Prof Magoha extended the deadline for the construction of CBC 6,500 classrooms to Friday, saying the national completion rate stands at 75 per cent.
