Cheating schools to be suspended for three years

Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i joins students of St Angela’s Sengera Girls in Gucha, Kisii County, in a dance at the school over the weekend. [Photo: Denish Ochieng/Standard]

Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i wants schools involved in examination cheating suspended for three years

The CS said the proposal, if approved, will affect all schools involved in cheating in last year's Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations.

He accused school managements of using the students to unfairly build the names of their institutions by providing illegal examination materials.

Dr Matiang'i was addressing parents, students and guests during a fund-raiser at St Angela's Sengera Girls in Gucha, Kisii County over the weekend.

“If you teachers want good results, you must embark on hard work. You have no right to ruin the life of an innocent child by aiding them to cheat in an examination that eventually leads to their results being cancelled,” he said.

He warned head teachers and principals against condoning absenteeism among their staff, saying each head teacher must account for those under them.

“Many teachers abscond duty to attend to their tea farms and others operate boda boda business, and we know that. If you are tired of teaching, register with the Kenya Tea Development Agency rather than stealing from the Government,” he added.

On the rampant cases of torching of schools in the county, the Cabinet secretary warned parents and other stakeholders against inciting students against the school managements.

“If you have a problem with a specific head, channel your grievances through the county director of education for action to be taken. Burning the school will not make us transfer any teacher,” he said.

He added that localisation of school heads is not a solution to poor results and it’s not a must that a school in a village setting must be headed by “son or daughter of the soil”, as many people may wish.