Exams now free for private and public students

Examination candidates in private primary and secondary schools have been exempted from paying for the tests beginning this year.

They will join their colleagues in public schools who started enjoying the waiver last year in a government scheme to ease the financial burden on parents by making education accessible and affordable.

The introduction of free primary education and subsidies in secondary schools in 2003 was part of the scheme that has led to higher enrolment and transition rates.

“Education is an equaliser and bridges the gap between the rich and the poor and hence the children must be given an even ground so as to compete equally in the examinations,” said Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.

He said, however, that the exemption would not be extended to those who re-sit the examinations, non-citizens and self-sponsored candidates.

Last year, a total of 942,021 candidates registered for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations while the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) had 577,253.

The Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) is this year wants to register 600,000 candidates for the KCSE and one million for the KCPE exams.

By Friday last week, 364,734 had been registered for Standard Eight while 350,967 had been enrolled for Form Four.

The government is paying Sh800 per candidate for KCPE and Sh5,400 for KCSE.

SET ASIDE SH4BN

In the next financial year starting July, the Treasury has set aside Sh4 billion for the examination fees, up from Sh3.2 billion last year.

It has also increased funding for secondary schools from Sh32 billion to Sh33 billion, while primary schools will get Sh4 billion.

Dr Matiang’i, who spoke at Chelsa Academy in Bomet during an impromptu visit, said the government was enrolling Form One students in all public national secondary schools regardless of whether they were in public or private schools.

“It would be very unfair to leave out bright children from private institutions from accessing public national schools yet they have what it takes to be enrolled in these schools,” he said.

Kenya Private Schools Association chief executive officer Peter Ndoro praised the government for “implementing what the law demands it to do”.

“Candidates in private schools have already started to benefit from the payment. We have about 120,000 candidates in class eight and 46,000 in Form Four,” he said.

He added that it would have been unfair if the fee exemption had not been extended to private schools.

Dr Matiang’i, however, warned headteachers against registering ghost candidates with the intention of inflating the number of candidates so as to reach the levels that Knec requires of an examination centre.

Registration for the examinations started on January 17 and will end on February 28, without any extension.

USE INDEX NUMBERS

“We are appealing to all candidates to come forward and register. They should not wait until the last minute as it will clog the system,” said Knec acting chief executive Mercy Karogo.

She added that candidates registering for this year’s national examinations will use index numbers as has been the practice in previous years as they await the development of the unique identifier system.

Ms Karogo said the candidates will be given a unique personal registration number when registration is completed.

Speaking in Kisii later, Dr Matiang’i vowed to continue with the strict management of national examinations, saying those hoping for loopholes in the process to exploit were bound to be disappointed.

“We are going to be even stricter in supervising exams this year. Those hoping for a return to the dark days of rampant cheating should prepare for more disappointment this year,” he said.

He hit out at critics for claiming he was out to frustrate learning institutions in the drive to reform education.

“As a firm believer in proper management of schools, I must ensure all schools comply with the regulations,” he said.

Dr Matiang’i said the government would roll out digital literacy programmes in public and private primary schools to allow all children to become computer-literate without segregation.

He said the ministry would come up with a common dormitory design that all schools will adopt.

Reporting by Geoffrey Rono, Aggrey Omboki and Ouma Wanzala