Head teachers to get allowances as exam council writes to students over cheating

Principals and primary school headteachers will earn allowances for overseeing national examinations as per an exams administration plan released yesterday.

The details emerged as the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) wrote to each of the 1.5 million candidates, warning them of dire consequences in case they are found cheating.

A detailed payment structure seen by The Standard on Saturday reveals that the teachers who will administer the 2016 examinations will earn up to Sh12,500.

All the contacted professionals — supervisors, invigilators, security officers, drivers and school heads — will each get paid for their role in the management of the examinations.

“After thorough consultation, it was agreed that payment to supervisors, invigilators, security officers and drivers be pegged on a specific number of days irrespective of the number of days worked,” reads the KNEC document.

For Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam administration, headteachers will be paid for four days at a flat rate of Sh500 per day. This means each headteacher will receive Sh2,000 for the complete and successful administration of the exam.

Flat rate fee

The rest of the team who will participate in KCPE exam administration will be paid a flat rate fee. Supervisors will earn Sh2,485, invigilators (Sh1,615), security officers (1,050) and drivers (Sh1,040).

And for Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam, all supervisors in Nairobi and Mombasa will be paid Sh695 per day for 18 days. This translates to Sh12,510. The rest of the supervisors from other regions will be paid Sh630 for the same number of days. This translates to Sh11,340.

Invigilators in Nairobi and Mombasa will be paid Sh580 for 17 days, while those from other regions will earn Sh460 for a similar number of days.

Principals will earn a flat rate of Sh500 per day for 18 days. This translates to Sh9,000.

Security officers will earn a flat rate of Sh420 per day for 16 days. This comes to some Sh6,720, while drivers will be paid a flat rate of Sh405 per day for 16 days, which translates to Sh6,480.

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Secretary General Akello Misori welcomed the move, but noted the rates should have been higher.

“We wasted so much time arguing whether heads should pick examination papers or not instead of negotiating for a better rate. They would have been paid Sh1,000 instead of half the amount,” said Misori.

Meanwhile, in a passionate letter to each of the 1.5 million candidates, KNEC warned them to resist any temptations to cheat in this year’s tests.

The one-page letter to be given to all the candidates through their school heads says every year, many candidates get their results cancelled and pleads with this year’s lot not to be part of the growing number.

“It is very sad for a student not to get the examination results after studying for several years. However, no examination results can be given to a candidate who is involved in an examination irregularity,” KNEC acting Chief Executive Officer Mercy Karogo wrote to the students.

In the letters to Form Four and Standard Eight candidates, Ms Karogo says “some people” mislead the candidates in most cheating cases.

“These people mistakenly think that they are helping you, but in fact they are exposing you to suffering through loss of examination results,” she says. KNEC pleads with the candidates to work hard and states the dangers of cheating.

“Cheating will not help you. In fact, should anyone try to make you cheat or should you become aware of any other candidate involved in this bad practice, you must immediately report this to your parents, headteacher, supervisor, education officer, the police or Council,” reads the letter.

KNEC, however, assures candidates that all questions will be “fair for all”, but immediately warns that “accurate methods of detecting candidates who cheat” have been devised.

“Candidates who cheat or are impersonated cannot be given examination results. For you to receive your examination results, you are advised to refrain from trying to obtain any unfair assistance from anybody,” reads the letter.

The details of the letter are part of the briefing notes discussed during the official launch of the 2016 KCSE and KCPE exams. Some 1.5 million candidates will sit this year’s examinations.