The marking of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination papers will start tomorrow. Cabinet Secretary for Education Prof George Magoha said that marking of the KCSE papers will begin immediately after candidates have completed their examinations.
The final KCSE examination papers comprise Home Science, Power Mechanics, Aviation Technology, Drawing, Computer Studies, Art and Design, Electricity and Computer Studies will be done tomorrow and this will allow marking to begin.
The CS said that all security and health measures have been put in place to ensure teachers and other workers who are involved in the marking of the examination are safeguarded.
The country has been going through hard times following a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths which have led to five counties being locked down in the counties of Nairobi, Machakos, Kajiado, Kiambu, and Nakuru counties.
Chief examiners are already present at the marking centers as they await marking to begin the exercise with about 20,000 more chief examiners prepares to begin streaming to their centers as of tomorrow.
“We are doing extremely well and preparation for marking this set of examinations are at a very advanced stage. The marking will begin immediately and it is expected to take about three weeks,” said CS Magoha.
COVID-19 vaccination
Examiners are given special passes to enable to allow them to access the centers because of the ongoing lockdown in the five counties to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The Education CS has urged examiners to be vaccinated before going to the marking centers. Last Thursday, President Uhuru Kenyatta directed all teachers and support staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of their age.
“The president has instructed all teachers and support staff in our schools to be allowed to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as part of the measures to ensure our schools are safe from the virus,” said Prof George Magoha.
Magoha did note that this year’s examinations have been done in a difficult situation but said that the process had been a smooth and successful one.
Examination cheating
“There has never been a situation in this country since independence where children were subjected to conditions they have experienced this time around. That is why the President directed us to bend backward and that any child found with a cell phone can go to court when it is flexible but will continue with the examinations to the end so that judgment is given at a holistic stage,” the CS explained.
The Ministry had dealt with various cases of examinations being exposed before the scheduled time. About 20 people were arrested for attempting to facilitate cheating.
“I want to assure the public that this early exposure actually means nothing,” said CS Magoha last week.
The Ministry of Education is preparing for the reopening of schools on the 10th of May except for Grade Four students and those who sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination last month who are set to report to Form this July.
Inspection of schools
Magoha said that the government is confident that schools will reopen as planned although the government will continue to observe the COVID-19 situation in the country. He urged schools to continue following the health protocols that the Ministry of Health put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
“As part of our efforts to recover the lost time following the prolonged closure of schools due to COVID-19 last year we organized tests for schools in a manner that would help us recover the lost time,” said CS Magoha.
At the moment, plans have been put in place to examine how schools are prepared to re-open ahead of the rising cases of COVID-19. Health and Education officials will conduct an inspection of learning institutions to determine to what extent they are prepared for reopening.
The Ministry of Education has also announced that preparations will begin immediately for the 2021 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations that will be administered in early 2022.
DOWNLOAD FREE SCHOOL RESOURCES USING THE LINKS BELOW:
GRADE 1, 2, AND 3 (COMBINED) EVALUATION ASSESSMENT TESTS SET
PRIMARY SCHOOL CLASS 5, 6, AND 7 EXAMS
PRIMARY SCHOOL CLASS 8 EXAMS
HOLIDAY ASSIGNMENTS CLASS 4 – 8
HIGH SCHOOL RESOURCES
UPPER PRIMARY SCHOOL RESOURCES
PRE-PRIMARY (PP1-PP2) SCHOOL MATERIALS
GRADE 1- 4 MATERIALS
UNIVERSITY RESOURCES