Don't victimise teachers, Knut tells education ministry

Education CS Dr Fred Matiang’i

Teachers have cautioned the Ministry of Education against collective victimisation in reported cases of examination cheating.

Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) national treasurer John Matiang'i said new examination rules should not be misconstrued to mean that teachers bear the brunt of everything that goes wrong in the process.

Speaking in Kisumu yesterday during the homecoming ceremony of Ephraim Kananga, the Knut Nyando branch executive secretary, Matiang'i said students and other parties were clearly to blame in some exam cheating cases.

"If by any chance a candidate gets to the examination room with unwanted materials, let no teacher lose their job because of what the student did," he said.

He said teachers should only be punished in cases where they are directly involved. 

"We must allay this fear that all the teachers in the (exam) centre that happen to have issues with irregularities will be arraigned in court," said Matiang'i

This year's administration of national examinations placed a higher responsibility on head teachers. 

Fresh vetting of invigilators and a ban on school visits are some of the new measures aimed at curbing exam cheating.