Five special needs students score top grade in KCSE

NAIROBI: At least five candidates with special needs attained A in the just released Kenya Certificate of Secondary Eduction (KCSE).

Of the 1,090 candidates with special needs who sat the examination, 180 also attained a minimum grade of C+ while 14 attained A-.

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi said the results for students with special needs were commendable and goes to prove that disability is not inability.

Kaimenyi instructed the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) not to grade candidates who made an appearance during the examination and wrote their names and index numbers only, without attempting any question.

 KIAMBU COUNTY

"I am perturbed to note that candidates found a way around this regulation. During the 2014 KCSE examination, a number of candidates scribbled illegible responses, while others just went ahead to replicate the questions as presented on the question papers," said Kaimenyi.

According to Kaimenyi, others presented responses in languages other than those that are accepted in the examination, while others presented vulgar statements as responses.

"This is unacceptable and I am as such instructing KNEC to liaise with relevant stakeholders to set thresholds of marks below which candidates shall not be graded in future," said Kaimenyi.

He said candidates who shall be sitting this year's examination have been informed well before the registration process ends that grades shall only be awarded to candidates who are able to exhibit a certain level of mastery as is done in other countries across the world.

Kiambu County had the highest number of candidates with special needs at 151 followed by Migori with 74, Kisumu (71), Kakamega (66) and Siaya 60.

The number of such candidates also increased from 809 in 2013 to 1090 in 2014.