Why Mutula supports scrapping of KCPE examinations

By Patrick Beja                

MOMBASA, KENYA: Education Minister Mutula Kilonzo has said he backs the abolition of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination from the school curriculum.

Mutula said he supported suggestions that pupils be allowed to transit to Form Four without being eliminated through KCPE at a tender age.

“The pupils cannot use the KCPE certificates for anything because they are still too young. I support those calling for abolition of KCPE,” he said.

During a press conference in Mombasa, the minister issued a statement on achievement in the education sector to mark the year-end and announced policy shift as part of education reforms and increased capitation grants for primary and secondary schoolchildren.

The Education Ministry has announced that the release of last year’s Standard Eight exam results will be delayed by three more weeks. At the same time, schoolchildren will be sent home for a week to pave way for the March 4 General Election.

Mutula said the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) had completed marking the Standard Eight exams and will announce the results on January 25. 

Traditionally, KCPE results are released after Christmas but it will not be the case this time round, raising anxiety among candidates and parents. But yesterday the minister said the results had been delayed due to late marking of scripts after disruption of school programmes by the teachers’ strike last term.

“We hope to have the results around January 25, 2013. The Form One admissions are on course and immediately the results are out the process of admission will start,” Mutula explained.

The minister said the first school term will start on January 7 and end on April 12, with a break scheduled between February 28 and March 7 to allow for the General Election. First term will have 14 weeks.

Kilonzo said the second term would begin from May 6 to August 9, also lasting 14 weeks. The third term will have 11 weeks, starting from September 2 to November 15.

Short break

“There has also been concern raised about the new term dates for Form One students and the short break we seek to take by sending learners home during the election period in March 2013,” Mutula observed.

He, however, said the ministry’s major concern would be a presidential run-off that could interfere with the academic calendar.  Education Permanent Secretary George Godia and Knec Chief Executive Paul Wasanga accompanied the minister.

Mutula also urged political parties to conduct their nominations on weekends to avoid interfering with school programmes as such activities take place in institutions of learning.

Mutula said the education sector would adopt policies that would reform examinations across all levels of basic education to make it competency-based by combing the continuous assessment with summative evaluation.

The policies would provide for free and compulsory basic education to every child, implement automatic transition and transfer between grades and across levels of basic education.

The minister said the National Education Sector Support Programme (NESSP) would prioritise review of the capitation grants to schoolchildren across all levels of basic education.

Mutula noted that the Sh1,020 per pupil and Sh10,200 per student was too low and should be increased to raise the quality of free primary and secondary education.

He said NESSP would ensure employment of adequate teachers and improvement of their welfare as well as provision of sanitary towels for all primary and secondary school girls who require them.

He said there was urgent need to employ 70,000 teachers.

Transition

“My ministry is also determined to ensure 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary schools and also reform the curriculum shifting from objective-based to competency-based across all levels of basic education,” Mutula said.

He announced the ministry had lost ten pupils in the ongoing floods in Elgeyo/Marakwet County. Two of the pupils come from Toroplongon, three from Kabechei and one from Menone primary schools.

“We will let you know which schools the other pupils come from immediately our team on the ground makes confirmation,” he said.

At the same time, Mutula criticised the controversial list of nominees for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) posts.

He said it was unfortunate that the appointments had drawn criticism from a cross-section of Kenyans, adding that the move showed those responsible had ignored merit.

He termed the exercise unfair, saying those nominated should be the ones who scored the highest marks as determined by the selection panel.

“I believe in meritocracy and those responsible should ensure merit and nothing else is the guiding principle,” added Mutula, pointing out that the ministry was not directly involved in the exercise.

The minister said the blame lay squarely on the selection body that had forwarded the names to President Mwai Kibaki for appointment.

Mr Kilonzo made the remarks while answering questions from journalists soon after he issued a Ministerial Statement on the achievements of his ministry.