The Cabinet Secretary for Education Prof George Magoha has extended the window of registering KCPE and KCSE national examinations for a further two weeks.
On Monday the 2nd of August 2021, the CS announced that the directive is to ensure that all candidates are registered so that they will get the opportunity to sit for their examinations.
The registration of candidates started on the 2nd of June, 2021, and is was scheduled to end on the 31st of July 2021. Following a request from headteachers and principals, the Ministry of Education has granted them their request.
Verification of registration details will be between August 16th and 27th 2021. In case any candidate does not register for the 2021 examination scheduled for March 2022 will only sit for the exam when it will be offered next come December 2022.
“Headteachers and principals are reminded to ensure that all bona fide candidates are registered for the examination within the final two weeks. Any candidate who fails to register for the 2021 examination to be sat in March 2022 will only be allowed to sit the examination in December 2022. Later registration will not be allowed,” said CS Magoha.
Pressed on the issue of schools with less than 30 candidates, CS Magoha said, “All primary and secondary schools (public and private), with less than thirty (30) candidates will be hosted in schools within their proximity and locality that have more than thirty (30) candidates. All Special Needs Schools will retain their examination centers irrespective of the number of registered candidates.”
Sub-County Directors of Education have received instructions to submit the records of hosted schools to the Kenya National Examinations Council by the 10th of September, 2021.
The following is CS Magoha’s official statement on the status of the KCPE and KCSE registration that was issued later today.
REGISTRATION OF CANDIDATES FOR THE 2021 KCPE AND KCSE NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS
Preparations for the 2021 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations commenced with the registration of candidates starting from June 2nd, 2021.
The registration exercise was scheduled to close on July 31st, 2021.
By July 31, 2021, a total of 1,218, 892 candidates in 28,248 centers and 824,392 candidates in 10,384 centers had been registered for the KCPE and KCSE examinations respectively.
In 2020, 1,191,616 and 752,602 candidates were registered for the KCPE and KCSE respectively.
This represents an increase of 2.29% and 9.54% in candidature in the 2021 KCPE and KCSE respectively compared with 2020. The Phenomenal increase in KCSE candidature is attributed t the success of the Government’s policy of 100% transition which started in 2018.
However, since the exercise closed on July 31st, 2021 a number of Headteachers and Principals have requested the Kenya National Examinations.
Council to allow them more time to mop up all candidates that may not have been registered by the deadline owing to one reason or the other, including the school movements attributed to the effects of COVID-19.
The Government has, therefore, decided to extend the registration deadline by two weeks in order to give an opportunity to schools to ensure all candidates are registered, in the spirit of leaving no child behind in the education sector.
Therefore, the final registration deadline is August 14th 2021. The Headteachers and Principals are reminded to ensure that all bona fide candidates are registered for the examination within this final two weeks.
Any candidate who fails to register for the 2021 examination to be sat in March 2022 will only be allowed to sit the examination in December 2022. Late registration will not be allowed.
The registration deadline will be followed with verification of the candidate’s registration details as captured in the 2021 KCPE and KCSE nominal rolls between August 16 and 27, 2021.
Head Teachers and Principals are informed that the duly signed nominal rolls and medical reports for candidates with special needs must be submitted to Sub-County Directors of Education together with the other registration documents.
HOSTING OF SCHOOLS WITH LESS THA 30 CANDIDATES
All primary and secondary schools (public and private), with less than thirty (30) candidates will be hosted in schools within their proximity and locality that have more than thirty (30) candidates as per the KNEC circular KNEC/GEN/EA/EM/KCPE/KCSE/HOSTING/2021/02 of 28th June 2021
All Special Needs Schools will retain their examination centers irrespective of the number of registered candidates.
For all examination centers with a candidature of less than 30, and which may have legitimate hosting challenges, Sub-County Directors of Education will seek guidance from the Kenya National Examinations Council on the way forward.
The Sub-County Directors of Education have been informed to submit the records of hosted schools to the Kenya National Examinations Council by September 10th, 2021.
All stakeholders are reminded that to ensure equity, the Government pays examination fees for all primary and secondary school learners in both public and private schools.
Schools are only required to register candidates for the examinations. Consequently, schools should not force learners to repeat.
The Government is committed to sustaining its efforts to ensure high levels of credibility and integrity in the administration of national examinations.
PROF. GEORGE A.O. MAGOHA, EGH
CABINET SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION