Government plans to phase out national exams on course

Tight security as Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education candidates from Mama Ngina Girls High School prepared to write their English Paper One examin Mombasa County. [File, Standard]

The Ministry of Education has announced plans to gradually phase out physical examinations  from the education system in a move aimed at cutting the huge costs associated with printing and transporting exam papers across the country.

The ministry plans to introduce paperless exams in schools, an initiative that has already been piloted in more than 30 teacher training colleges.

For years, the government has spent millions of shillings annually printing and ferrying examination papers to various parts of the country.

According to the Director General for Basic Education, Dr. Elyas Abdi, the ambitious transition could save the country billions of shillings currently spent on managing physical examinations.

Dr. Abdi said the ministry would partner with the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to strengthen electronic assessment of learners as part of wider reforms aimed at streamlining the education sector.

“Exams issue in this country has been an expensive affair and paperless exams seek to address this in coming years,” said Abdi.

Abdi noted that the ministry was already engaging stakeholders to ensure the planned transition is implemented successfully over the coming years.

He further revealed that Grade 10 learners had settled into their selected pathways under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), with Grade 12 learning materials already designed and teacher training ongoing.

“We had some teething in the transition of students from Junior to Senior Secondary schools but this has since been addressed,” he said.

The Director General spoke in Naivasha during a national knowledge-sharing and policy meeting for education stakeholders, where he called for greater use of research recommendations to address gaps in the sector.

He added that the government remained committed to strengthening education policies and improving access to quality education for all learners.

Meanwhile, Hassan Ali, the Public Secretary in Somalia’s Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education, said the country had made significant progress in rebuilding its education sector following the end of the civil war.

Ali noted that the Somali government had increased financing towards education to improve access and quality learning.

He added that efforts were also underway to bridge education gaps affecting pastoralist communities and those living in remote regions.

Dr. James Njogu, the acting CEO for UNESCO, said the meeting aimed at harnessing research to inform policy and decision-making in the education sector.

He noted that UNESCO was currently supporting nine education projects across the country and preparing a report expected to provide key recommendations for strengthening the sector.