A record 1.5 million to sit this year’s KCPE and KCSE exams, KNEC says

Mombasa ACK Bishop Julius Kalu seen here with KCPE candidates from St. Augustine Preparatory School in prayers ahead of their final examinations in 2015. This year's KCPE exams are scheduled for November 1. [PHOTO FILE/STANDARD].

NAIROBI: It is now official that some 1.5 million children will sit this year's national examinations scheduled to kick off in November 1.

These are the candidates that education Cabinet secretary Fred Matiang'i said must prepare because 'the examinations this year shall be administered under different circumstances.'

Speaking as he released the new tough measures to be implemented this year, Matiang'i said 'the monkey business that has been the hallmark of examinations shall be no more.'

He said the examinations shall strictly be done within a months, starting November 1 to 30 and that all non-candidates shall be out of school during the examination period.

Data released by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) shows that an additional 78, 886 candidates have been registered compared to last year.

KNEC figures say that by end of March when the registration deadline was officially closed, some 952, 445 candidates had been registered to sit Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE).

This is an additional registration of 24, 656 candidates from last year's roll.

Some 927,789 candidates sat the 2015 KCPE. Of these, 459,885 were girls, while 467,904 were boys, representing a gender parity of 49.6 per cent and 50.4 per cent respectively.

And for the 2016 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) some 577, 079 candidates have been registered to write the tests.

This reflects an additional registration of some 54, 209 candidates compared to last year.

A total of 522,870 candidates sat for the 2015 KCSE examination compared to 483,630candidates in the year 2014, representing an increase of 39,240 candidates (8.11 per cent).

Of the 522,870 candidates who sat for the 2015 KCSE, 279,289 were male, while 243,581 were female, representing a gender parity of 53.41 per cent (male) to 46.59 per cent (female).

Candidature in the KCPE examination has also continued to grow steadily over the years. In the last ten years candidature for the KCPE examination has increased by 261,338 candidates, representing a percentage increase of 39.2 per cent.

KNEC data shows that the number of girls who sat for KCPE increased from 437,228 in the year 2014 to in 459,885 in the year 2015.

This was an increase of 22,657 girls, representing 5.18 per cent, while the boys increased from 443,258 in the year 2014 to 467,904 in 2015, an increase of 24,646 boys, representing 5.56 per cent.