The Ministry of Education Principal Secretary Dr. Julius Jwan has issued a circular to County Directors of Education on how Form Four students will travel in and out of locked down counties after KCSE examinations.
In a circular dated Friday the 9th of April, 2021, county directors of education have been directed to work in tandem with County Commissioners and Principals of Secondary schools to make sure that Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates’ travel plans are facilitated.
Schools have been directed to organize with companies that provide transport so that KCSE candidates are picked from their schools once they finish their examinations.
Besides, schools have also been directed to ensure students who are traveling home while wearing their school uniforms have letters of introduction from their schools.
Schools have also been directed to communicate with parents about the transport arrangements that will be used.
Due to the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the country, a third wave of the global novel coronavirus pandemic is currently ongoing.
In March President Uhuru Kenyatta on March 26, 2021, declared the cessation of movement in and out of five counties seen as COVID-19’s hotspots. These comprise Kiambu, Nairobi, Machakos, Nakuru, and Kajiado counties. The move was to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The following is a circular with transport guidelines for the KCSE candidates.
All County Directors of Education
RE: TRAVEL OF KCSE CANDIDATES IN AND OUT OF NAIROBI, MACHAKOS, KIAMBU, KAJIADO, AND NAKURU
As you are aware, there was put in the place a cessation of movement in and out of the above counties for purposes of managing the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, as the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) comes to an end the candidates will need to travel to and out of the area under lockdown.
You are required to work with County Commissioners and Principals of Secondary Schools to ensure that the candidates are facilitated to travel. Schools should:
i) Organize with transport companies to have the students picked from schools.
ii) Ensure those traveling are in school uniform and have letters of introduction from the school.
iii) Communicate to the parents of the students on the transport arrangements made.
Kindly bring this to the attention of all public and private secondary schools offering KCSE examinations.
Julius O. Jwan, PhD, MBS
PRINCIPAL SECRETARY
The President’s directive caused uncertainty among Kenyans concerning how candidates still in schools doing their KCSE examinations could reach their homes in locked down counties.
“In respect to education in Kenya shall be immediate suspension of all on-going physical learning in all our institutions including universities, tertiary and vocational colleges, other than for candidates sitting for the examinations and those in medical institutions, until otherwise notified,” said President Kenyatta in a televised speech.
The KCSE examinations started on the 26th of March 2021but have been marred by some cases of examination malpractice throughout the country.
For instance, on the 2nd of April 2021, all candidates except for one were placed under investigation following claims of examination leakage at an examination center (school).
Reports reveal that one student had received a Chemistry theory papers’ question on WhatsApp, wrote down the answers, and then shared them with others as the rest of the other students before the scheduled time for the actual paper.
Despite the increased cased of examination cheating, Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha assured Kenyans that all measures have been installed to curb cheating and there is no need for alarm.