Teacher Backlash over Unresponsive Score Uploading Portal

Primary school teachers have vented their frustrations over KNEC’s score uploading portal that is unresponsive.

Teachers said that they are have not been able to submit scores after learners sat for the assessment examinations last month.

The assessments for Grades 1, 2, 3, and Classes 5, 6, 7 started on 18th January and ended on 22nd January 2021. Schools are needed to submit learners’ scores through an online portal that KNEC provided.

The slow and unresponsive system hindered uploading of the assessment scores as instructed by the Kenya National Examinations Council.

“We have tried uploading scores but the process is hectic and expensive because of the amount of data bundles. The system also does allow it as it just hangs and will not proceed in taking the scores. We tried even in the middle of the night but still, the system did not work,” said a teacher from Kongowea, Mombasa.

KNEC has announced that uploading of scores was to be done from 25th January to 19th February 2021.

This means that schools have two weeks to beat the set deadline.

The examiner said that the scores of learners should be entered directly onto the LCBE portal.

Previously when schools were doing submission of Grade 4 and Class 8 scores, KNEC had allowed an offline method of uploading scores where schools were able to fill an excel file with scores before uploading it on the provided portal.

KNEC has not yet responded to complaints about the issues of the system of uploading scores even though the deadline is approaching.

This is not the first time systems of data capture like the LCBE Portal and even the NEMIS system have caused concern among school administrators. For instance, there have been persistent issues of accessibility of the NEMIS system especially when deadlines are around the corner and many people are struggling to meet them.

Whether the issues are with the kind of hosting plans the systems have or whether the issue is in the development of the websites themselves remains to be seen.

“It has come to KNEC’s attention that there have been challenges with uploading that have slowed the process of uploading,” KNEC CEO Mercy Karogo revealed through a circular.

To simply things for schools KNEC has said that schools that my experience when uploading the duly filled EXCEL file, shall attach the duly filled excel file downloaded from the KNEC system and then send the file to KNEC’s email address lcbe@knec.ac.ke.

The document shall then be processed within two (2) weeks and feedback given ASAP.

Schools that had issues with uploading scores were told to contact their Sub-county Directors of Education or contact KNEC directly through the numbers:

(i)            0715477646

(ii)           0772069891

The Council said that it has provided enough time for schools to upload scores as a way of reducing congestion on the platform.

KNEC gave sub-county Directors of Education the authority to use CP2 credentials to log onto the LCBE portal and add new schools if any.

Newly, registered schools were directed to use the School Code as their Username and password to log onto the LCBE portal.