Phobia? Concerns as few candidates list for 2017 KCPE, KCSE

Education PS Belio Kipsang during a previous public function in Nairobi. PHOTO: BONIFACE OKENDO/STANDARD

NAIROBI: Concern has been raised over the low registration of candidates for this year's national examinations.

Principal Secretary in charge of Basic Education Dr Belio Kipsang said so far only 350,000 candidates had been registered for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE).

This is out of an estimated target of one million.

The figure is even wanting for Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) where from an anticipated number of slightly over 600,000, so far the candidature stands at hardly 100,000.

In last year's exams, there were a total of 577,253 candidates sitting for KCSE and 952,021 taking their KCPE.

However, unlike this last year, the examination council has employed a vast of stringent regulations on both candidates and exam centres that consequently seek to seal any loopholes of cheating.

Only eight days are remaining before the registration exercise is closed.

"Head teachers of primary and secondary schools should speed up the registration of this year's candidates before the February 28 deadline," said Kipsang.

Kipsang' reassured parents who are in doubt over examination fees that the government had paid Sh3.2 billion to cater for examination fees for all KCPE and KCSE candidates including the candidates from private schools.

"The Government had ambitious plans to expand infrastructure for secondary education to ensure that no child who completes primary education gets admitted into secondary school," said Kipsang.

According to the new regulations guiding this year's registration of candidates for national examinations, the time taken register has been shortened by six weeks.

In 2016, the exercise ran from January 1 for 12 weeks to April. Unlike 2016, the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) stated that there will be no extension for 2017 candidates.

With candidates re-sitting their exams being part of reason schools have been registering large numbers, this year KNEC Acting Chief Executive Officer Mercy Kagoro says any candidate who seeks to repeat cannot be allowed to register for the exams unless he or she has a written permission from the Sub County Director of Education.

"The repeating pupil must join the class as a full-time pupil before the end of the first term in 2017, no new class is opened to accommodate repeaters and the limit of 50 pupils per class is not exceeded," said Karogo.

And for KCSE candidates, they can only be allowed to re-sit the exams if the last time was not more than three years ago. For KCPE, it is only if they sat the exam last year.