Cabinet Secretary for Education Prof George Magoha has assured that the national examinations slated to start on the 7th of March will be done with integrity.
Magoha warned anybody planning to cheat during the examinations that they shall not escape the long arm of the law.
He also revealed that the examinations are ready and have had to be rescheduled owing to the fact that the education fraternity lost a lot of time following the reporting of the first COVID-19 case in the country. This led to the government resorting to closing all institutions of learning for a prolonged period in March 2020 and reopening them in October 2020.
Besides, Magoha said that security has been beefed up and enough planes are on standby ready to fly examinations to various parts of the country to deliver the examinations. Some of the areas that may require planes are volatile locations such as those in Baringo and North Eastern Kenya.
CS Magoha also warned that his Ministry is closely monitoring situations in those volatile areas to ensure that there is peace.
Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates may also be forced to relocate to more secure locations and take their national examinations from there.
“Situations in volatile areas are being closely monitored and we are hoping that peace will prevail in those areas. If need arises we shall be forced to relocate candidates to more secure areas where they will sit for their examinations,” said CS Magoha.
The Examinations will be done between February 28 and April 1 with police officers tasked with providing security throughout the country.
The Ministry of Education has already made the necessary preparations and mapped out the operating formula for the 2021 national examinations.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) CEO David Njeng’ere revealed that the examinations will be done in following the provided timelines. This, in his view, will reduce the risk of malpractice in the national examinations.
This means that sub-county directors and deputy county commissioners will be needed to open examination containers early enough to ensure that materials reach the testing locations in time.
CS Magoha also warned examination administrators against involving themselves in malpractice and cautioned against anyone who would attempt to delegate their duties to anyone else.
“Some centre managers can make deals with officers in uniform. If any such officers are found, they should be swiftly be removed to avoid leaking examinations,” said Prof George Magoha.
KNEC has also established command and call centres which shall be used for communication and monitoring of examinations. Toll-free numbers have also been provided for use during the examination period. The toll-free numbers are 0800 724 900 and 0800 721 410.