It is time to lift ban on ranking of schools in national examinations

Caroline Mwangi from Mahiga Girls in Othaya, Nyeri celebrates with her family members at Thunguri Village, after she emerged top in Nyeri, in the category of special needs students with 76 points in 2020 KCSE.[Kibata Kihu, Standard]

The 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination results were released on Monday. Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha said 747,161 candidates sat the examination nationally. Of these, 380,327 were male and 366,834 female. Overall, 893 scored plain grade A compared to 627 in 2019.

This is a great improvement considering the odds that were stacked against the candidates. Disruptions brought about by Covid-19 led to a 10-month closure of learning institutions which, no doubt, had a negative effect on the students. Despite the disruptions and other obstacles, many rose to the occasion and acquitted themselves well when the results were released.