By Lillian Aluanga
A Motion seeking to abolish the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam has ignited debate in the education sector long before it is tabled in Parliament.
Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni has given notice of the Motion that calls for scrapping of the exam, which he argues hampers smooth transition of pupils to secondary school thus denying them a right to universal basic education.
As Parliament prepares for debate on the Motion, stakeholders have called for sobriety on the issue that could determine the country’s future.
"Education is a weighty issue and should not be handled casually. We should not approach such issues in a piecemeal manner but comprehensively," says Education PS James ole Kiyiapi.
He termed debate on the matter as "premature and uncalled for".
Prof Kiyiapi says the ministry was reviewing the education system to align it with requirements in the new Constitution.
Review of system
"The ministry was looking at various issues, including relevance of the curriculum, transition from nursery school to secondary school and beyond, long before the Motion was brought to Parliament," he says.
"What we are asking for is time to complete our review. It will be done by June next year. Then, Parliament can pick up debate on the issue based on a proper analysis of the education system," he adds.
The review, Kiyiapi says, will also look at the role of exams and evaluation processes, which are crucial for gathering feedback in any education system.
The PS says the ministry was motivated to conduct the review in light of new emerging issues on governance, environment, early childhood education, ICT, and science and technology that are not captured under the current Education Act.
"On the basis of a proper analysis, we can then propose a new education policy and come up with a new Education Act," he says, adding that the ministry will present its roadmap to the Parliamentary Committee on Science and Technology at the beginning of December.
Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association chairman Joseph Karuga says the country has not been innovative in assessing and evaluating children.
"Teaching examining and evaluating a curriculum go hand in hand. It is unfair to have our children go through school for eight years then have all that they have learnt summarised in a three day exams that determine their future," he says.
the big question
Karuga argues that while a child who scores 300 of the total 500 marks is not ‘stupid’, they may lack a place in secondary school and a chance to further their education.
"When these children drop out of school, majority filter into society. Some get married early and get back into a cycle of poverty. What we have is a system that has a few classified people deemed successful because they passed an exam and went to top secondary schools. But what happens to the thousands who drop out?" he poses.
It is estimated that of the 600,000 pupils who sat KCPE last year, only 450,000 went to secondary school. This year, over 700,000 pupils sat for the exam.
Karuga says the devolved system of governance as entailed in the new Constitution provides an opportunity for establishing centres of excellence in every county where education will not just be quantitative but qualitative as well.
According to Kiyiapi, those clamouring for the scrapping of KCPE are only looking at a small piece of a larger puzzle.
"Tabling a Motion in Parliament without first conducting proper assessment of the issues at hand will not help the country much. The ministry should be given time to review the current system then Parliament can, based, on proper and sound proposals consider the Motion," he says.
Kiyiapi however acknowledges that KCPE may have some weakness where it has been used as an elimination tool, but says this has been necessitated by few slots available in secondary schools.
While calling for time to allow professionals engage in the debate, Karuga says change in the education sector should not be effected haphazardly but for growth and development.
His views are shared by Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chairman Cleophas Tirop, who says it is crucial to question if KCPE is serving the country well or not.
Celebrating individuals
"It is not a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ debate, but we must avoid using an exam to celebrate a few individuals and condemn others," he says.
Tirop says other forms of continuous assessment should be introduced to help place pupils in talent academies to enable them exploit their potential.
"There is currently no level playing fielding in the KCPE exam model. We have pupils in private schools with much better resources taking the lion’s share in top secondary schools. Those in rural public schools, for instance, hardly stand a chance," he says.
Tirop says debate on KCPE should be aimed at reaching a ‘Win- Win’ situation for the pupils and look at the type of education system the country desires for its future.
"We can no longer hide under the pretext of some students not being good enough. It is wrong to perpetuate the concept that a 14 year old is a failure. Let us find an evaluation criteria that will not condemn majority of the candidates after primary school," he says.
Former Nominated MP Ruth Oniang’o says scrapping KCPE would be a bad idea for the long-term development of the country and would kill the spirit of innovation and healthy competition in education.
no system without evaluation
Prof Oniang’o, who once served as Shadow Education Minister in Kanu and was member of the parliamentary committee on Education, Science and Technology, proposes assessment at various stages throughout primary schooling.
"We cannot have an education system without evaluation. Exams like KCPE provide this feedback. If you don’t evaluate your system then you can’t know how you are doing or where you are going," she says.
Kenyatta University lecturer Andrew Riechi says the education sector’s woes extend beyond KCPE and it would be unwise to blame them all on the exam.
"If we reverted to the ideals of the 8-4-4 system that included imparting practical skills in education, many children would not have missed out," he says.
Dr Riechi says there is need to re -evaluate transition from early childhood to Class 1, since this is the beginning of problems for many students.
A survey conducted by Uwezo Kenya in October last year, showed majority of Kenyan children cannot resolve a basic mathematical problem.
According to the Report, ‘Are Our Children Learning’, nearly one in every four children cannot read a basic paragraph in English or Kiswahili, putting to question students’ literacy and numeracy levels.
"Scrapping KCPE will not resolve the problem we have in the education sector, especially the nature of education structure in primary schools," says Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (Kuppet) National Chairman Akello Misori.
While calling for caution on the issue, Misori says the debate should not be politicised since it affects the country’s future generations.
"Politicians may be playing to the public gallery because KCPE has been criticised before, but they are not providing alternatives on what criteria should be used to determine selection to secondary schools," he says.
