How Knec kept cartels away at marking centres

Details of strict marking measures put in place to keep off examination cartels have emerged a day after Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i released the results.

Well-placed sources familiar with the finer details on why no result in this year's Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examinations (KCSE) was altered to favour certain schools explained to The Standard on Saturday the intricate procedures that led to clean grades.

Yesterday, a senior government official revealed that after the cheating cartels failed to beat the high security mounted during the administration of examinations, they moved to the marking centres to influence results.

Multiple security intelligence sources said that the fear triggered a high level of alertness.

The strategy started with the moving of all marking centres to Nairobi. Matiang’i said marking was for the first time conducted in 25 centres located in Nairobi and its surroundings in a move that greatly increased efficiency and effectiveness of the process.

All Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) members were assigned marking centres based on their areas of training.

“These council members were always present to monitor marking and to provide direction in cases where it was required,” said the official.

The marking sessions started at 7am and ended at 7pm daily during the marking period. On some days, the exercise went slightly beyond the set time.

After marking, the completed scripts were taken to a strong room that was under 24-hour CCTV surveillance.

“No one knew where the surveillance centre was. A team manned the centre round the clock to detect any suspicious movements,” said the official.

The marks were then entered into sheets at data entry rooms that were also under surveillance.

“Here, data entry officers who were carefully selected and vetted were tasked with the entry of the marks. But they could not make any changes to marks they had already entered,” said the official.

“A special lean team of senior officials had the sole responsibility of making any changes. If you entered 89 instead of 80, you could not change it. Only the senior officer with the password came around to make the change,” said the insider.

Unlike in previous years, only a few carefully selected and vetted senior government officials – not from the Ministry of Education­ – had the secret password to alter any mark from the system.

The password strategy was adopted after intelligence reports indicated that some examination cartels were working to alter results at this stage.

Matiang’i said some three markers who demonstrated strange movements were arrested.

“We have already forwarded their details to Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for action. And we shall support any action taken by the independent commission,” Matiang’i said.

The 2016 KCSE written examination papers were taken for 18 days – November 7 to 30. The marking of the examination was done between December 2 and 24. Some 16,637 examiners were involved in the process.

“These examiners did a fantastic job and sometimes worked long hours to ensure they delivered within the set deadlines,” Matiang’i said.

All examiners were expected to reside in the marking centres, unless they had clearance from Knec.

The examiners were also not allowed to carry away answer scripts, marking schemes or any marking materials from the marking rooms/centres. They were neither allowed to bring in any unauthorised materials.

“Any examiner found contravening this regulation shall be instantly dismissed,” read the Knec rules. The council also banned use of mobile phones in the marking rooms, script rooms and e-capture rooms.