End exam malpractices; they are giving Kenya a bad name

An Administration Police officer searches KCSE candidates. [File, Standard]

It is becoming clear that examination malpractices, especially cheating, happen five times more in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) than in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). This was confirmed in a quick survey conducted by PhD students in Educational Planning and Administration at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa.

The survey further revealed that out of every 10 secondary school teachers who are not engaged in the management and supervision of national examinations, seven are normally somewhere conspiring with rogue examination officials to aid learners in cheating. It should be remembered that by 2013, Kenya had lost the credibility of the quality of results produced through our examination system. Kenyans who pursued further education or even had assignments in academics in our neighbouring countries needed an entry examination/test just to assess the level of quality.