Plans for exams to be known tomorrow

Details of how national examinations will be conducted will be known tomorrow during a  meeting to be chaired by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha (pictured) and his Interior counterpart Fred Matiang'i.

Coming only three weeks to the exams, the meeting will discuss the administration of the tests and how to secure exam materials.

Top security and Ministry of Education officials will attend the meeting to be held at the Kenya School of Government in Lower Kabete, Nairobi.

It is expected that Prof Magoha and Dr Matiang'i will give a national examination roadmap, complete with new measures to be employed in the management of the tests in light of Covid-19 challenges.

The biggest headache will be how to manage huge crowds at the containers as officials pick up and drop off papers.

All centre managers, who are also school heads, pick up and drop off examination question papers during the entire period of national examinations.

A total of 479 containers will be used to store examination materials, according to a Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) report.

The Standard established that during tomorrow's meeting, security officials will be given keys to the metallic containers ahead of the tests.

Some 1,088,986 candidates will sit the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), while another 699,745 will sit the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCPE) exams.

The exams were moved from the traditional October/November period to March/April after lengthy school closures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

The revised timetables show KCPE will start on March 22, just two days after the end of the third term. The three-day exams will end on March 24, one day before the start of KCSE exams. The Form Four national exams will last three weeks and three days.

Knec requested for an additional Sh400 million for smooth administration of exams in light of Covid 19 pandemic.