Principal heads, teachers and invigilators assist in exam cheating

 By AUGUSTINE ODUOR

Cheating in national examinations now has a new face with teachers and invigilators accused of aiding the illegal act.

Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) ,said university students have also been sucked in the practice that has now seen some 19 persons arrested for the last two weeks.

Council secretary Paul Wasanga said majority of teachers arrested are from private schools adding that 17 have already been arraigned in court.

He said the teachers and invigilators entrusted with security of examinations, are increasingly accessing real examinations early in the morning and distributing the same through mobile phone short messages.

St. Clement secondary school’s  Principal, David Nyauma, was arrested Tuesday in Eldoret with examination material in his mobile phone.   Elsewhere, David Mwisenji Masinjila, of Friends Muhomo secondary school in Kakamega was also arrested with geography examination material.

Director of a Nairobi school compromised examination supervisors , invigilators  and security personnel to help candidates cheat.

In Kisii, a principal and some teachers were arrested with question papers in the school library working out answers for the candidates.

Wasanga said some of the teachers in the school were tasked with the responsibility of taking the answers to the candidates in the examination rooms.

“The supervisor, invigilators and the watchman were all compromised to abet the cheating,” he said.

He was speaking yesterday at his office while releasing this years Kenya certificate of secondary education (KCSE) interim report.

In Marsabit County, Wasanga said the principal and some teachers were also working out answers for the candidates. These answers were taken to the candidates by the principal and the supervisor.

He said education stakeholders and the candidates themselves reported the examinations irregularities cases.

“As we battle with planned cheating in examinations we have noted with great concern that most of the people who are perpetuating cheating are teachers themselves who have been given the responsibility of ensuring the integrity of national examinations,” said Wasanga.

He said the examinations packets are opened early in the morning between the time they are just picked from the armory and just before the examination time.

Wasanga said a fourth year student at Egerton university was arrested for sending extracts of questions to a teacher at Mbubuni in Makueni County.

He said university students are also used to distribute the examination papers.

In Kamkunji for instance, some candidates were arrested with a clipboard full of notes. They were arrested by KNEC monitoring officers in the full glare of invigilators and supervisors.

“What can Knec do if the very persons entrusted with the security of examinations are the very ones who allow cheating to take place?” asked Wasanga.