National exams ready, says CS Magoha

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha.

National examination papers for the 1.9 million secondary and primary school candidates have been printed and brought into the country. Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha said the tests are ready and shall be done as scheduled.

“I want to assure you the examinations are ready and in less than four weeks we shall start,” said Magoha.

Sources revealed that Magoha led top examination and ministry officials to the printer two weeks ago to conclude the final touches.

It emerged that some of the question papers have already been flown into the country three weeks before the tests begin.

Speaking in Kiambu on Wednesday, Magoha said no learners will be left behind in the national examinations even after Covid-19 disrupted the education calendar.

“The Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) is ready and should there be any cases that need to be addressed, the government is there,” said Magoha.

Some 1,088,986 candidates will sit the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination and another 699,745 the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education test.

The exams were moved from the traditional October/November period to March/April after lengthy school closures in 2020 to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

The revised national examinations timetable shows KCPE candidates will sit the papers starting March 22, just two days after the end of their third term. The three-day exams will end on March 24, one day before the start of the KCSE exams that will last three weeks and three days.

Parents had proposed that the exams scheduled for next month be moderated to factor in the learning losses candidates experienced following their long stay at home.

The parents argued that despite intervention from teachers, the Covid-19 pandemic had affected candidates psychologically and many may not score as expected. [Augustine Oduor]

A total of 479 containers will be used to store examination materials, according to a Knec report.