Gendia High School students sent home over exam leak bid

Education CS Fred Matiang'i Photo:Courtesy

Twenty-two candidates from Gendia High School in Homa Bay have been suspended over a plot to leak examination.

Police said the students, who will now sit the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam from outside the school, had allegedly collected Sh22, 305 through the school captain to buy an examination paper from an unspecified source.

Money was found in the 18-year-old school captain's box after a search and questioning by police and Ministry of Education officials.

Homa Bay County Police Commander Marius Tum, said the money was found in the boy’s box in the dormitory. 

Mr Tum said the decision to suspend the boys was reached by the school's board of management.

EXAMINATION LEAKAGES

It has also emerged that the students rioted on Sunday evening, during which they broke window panes because their teachers were allegedly not helping them get examination leakages.

They were also unhappy that the exam supervisors were too strict on them.

“On Sunday, we got wind of allegations that the students were collecting funds to purchase exam leakage but the money was discovered,” said Tum.

Tum said a meeting they had with the county education officials resolved that 22 candidates who were implicated in the scandal sit their exam from outside the school.

Meanwhile, Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has summoned private schools officials to address the challenges in exam administration.

The Standard established that Matiang’i is likely to discuss how private schools managers can adhere to examination administration rules to contain cases of attempted malpractice

SCHOOLS CITED

It emerged that most of the schools cited for examination irregularities are private institutions.

Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA) CEO Peter Ndoro confirmed there will be a meeting but said it had been pre-planned.

He, however, said KPSA does not condone exam malpractices and cautioned that members found to have abetted the vice would be deregistered.

“We don’t condone cheating. And if one does, we strike them off our association,” said Mr Ndoro.