Giving students second chance at KCSE exam an excellent idea

St Anne's Girls Kiminini deputy Principal Cosmas Nabungolo and students celebrate after the school posted a mean grade of 9.33 in the 2024 KCSE examination. [Mike Kihaki, Standard] The Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) has invited students who missed their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination (KCSE) or those who wish to retake it. This is a positive move and an encouragement to thousands of students, whose hopes would have been dashed unfairly, as they now have a chance to better their grades. I say unfairly because just one attempt at an exam and you don't make it to university or achieve the grade that reflects your intelligence is most unfortunate. A second chance means for whatever reason the first attempt didn't work, a student's fate is not sealed. We have many incidents of students writing their exams from maternity wards, with a death in the family, in deadly family disputes, in uncontrollable external environments such as poor teaching and learning in school, flooding or other hostile climatic conditions. We also have the curse of students learning in difficult conditions measured up against students who have all the facilities and support that they need to grow intellectually. This is an example of structural injustice against the less fortunate. Further, students who score a C are made to go through two or three years of diploma education before joining a degree programme. This is not just cruel. It lacks rational justification. It is a bit sadistic because the one with C+ would need four years to get the first degree while a C student, whose intelligence range with the C+ is not too far apart, would need to do six to seven years to get the first degree depending on the structure of the programme they are enrolled in. There is need to review the inhumane nature of our education system. Condemning children to labour for years to get certificates from institutions of higher learning without proper knowledge and skills measurement structures, systems and rationale serves no individual or national value. In fact, the colonial system of 7-4-2-3 was sympathetic to those who could not get the cut mark to the higher level. It provided alternatives at every level. Those who did not make it to university had colleges as options. They would join reputable institutions such as Kenya Science Teachers College. Now, the push for a 100 per cent transition to secondary school is not matched with resources to ensure that teaching and learning supports the high workload in all schools. Dropping out after Form Four creates a nightmare for children turning 18, 19 or 20. They have limited options to explore their diverse career pathways that Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions may not provide. It is therefore an excellent idea for the government to grant students who would love to go directly to university a second chance. I believe many students will better their grades and qualify for university, for diploma or other programmes that they aspire for. Rather than being in denial that the 8-4-4 and now the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) systems could have been crafted better and proper planning, including piloting, done before a full rollout, the government should start thinking of ways in which students can access education at higher levels without making them feel condemned by just one exam sitting. The Knec gesture is encouraging and should serve as a pointer that with goodwill, many students can improve their grades and pursue higher education. The Ministry of Education should go all the way to popularise these second chance exams. Intensive communication campaign to educate the students and their parents of the significance of the exams would help in not only registering high numbers but demonstrating that every child has an opportunity to pass exams. While in the past students could retake exams, they had to enroll a whole year earning their infamous title "repeaters". This one is different. It empowers the students to give it another go as opposed to being a "repeater". Kudos to Knec and the Education ministry for this brilliant idea. Dr Mokua is the executive director of Loyola Centre for Media and Communication

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