Alarm on fresh cheating plot as KCPE, KCSE exams beckon

Shocking revelations of examination cheating rings have hit secondary schools just months to the start of the tests.

It has emerged that some school heads are colluding with parents to collect money to buy national examination material this year and expose them to students early.

The Sunday Standard has established that with examination leakage loopholes sealed by the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec), cartels are now targeting schools to penetrate the security system.

A Government document being studied by security agencies with the hope of blocking attempts of fresh examination irregularities indicates that the scheme is elaborate. The document faults some security officers, education officials and principals.

The document is part of many on cheating loopholes being reviewed by Government security agencies which are keen on busting examination cheating cartels when candidates sit the tests from October.

Early exposure

Some 1.7 million candidates have been registered by Knec to sit this year’s examinations.

Of these, 1,060,787 candidates registered for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) while 663,811 will sit the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.

Under the arrangement, the secret brief in our possession reveals that examination papers would be sneaked out in an elaborate plan involving invigilators, school heads and security officers.

The new cheating strategy reveals that students are also made aware of the leakage plans and they cooperate in the scheme that is executed seamlessly during the entire examination period.

Last year, Knec chairman Prof George Magoha said the cartels are working to ensure early exposure of examination papers after loopholes were sealed. Some cases were reported last year when attempts were made to open examination papers just before they are written by candidates.

As preparations for the examinations continue, with only five months to go, Knec has summoned top education officials to discuss preparedness for the 2018 national examinations.

Knec Chief Executive Officer Mercy Karogo has invited Regional Coordinators of Education, Ministry and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) County Directors.

“The meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday May 31 at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) from 8am.

“This is therefore to invite you to attend and participate,” reads the letter dated May 23.

Details of the cheating plan under review by security agencies reveals that some schools are planning to convert staff houses, classrooms or staff offices into ‘command centres’ from where stolen examination papers will be circulated.

A team of teachers – mostly subject teachers – under the leadership of dean of studies, will work out examination questions and sneak the answers back to students, according to the document.

“The supervisor together with the principal open (examination) envelope containing papers in the presence of the candidates in the examination room and sneak out one of the papers to the command centre,” reads the document.

The command centres will be converted into photocopying bureaus where “the papers will be photocopied and subject teachers start working out questions as answers are sneaked back to the examination room.”

Dire consequences

“Candidates are made aware long before the whole programme and therefore they are normally ready to receive answers without commotion,” reads the document.

Prof Magoha steered clear of the cheating plot but warned culprits of dire consequences.

“Let me say this: Kenyans must allow us to work. But I can assure you that no examination paper will leak. We shall deliver clean and credible examinations compared to previous years,” said Magoha.

“And parents must question any money they are asked to pay without proper explanation,” he added.

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