Another crazy season. The national exam is here. Over the course of two weeks, at least 3.5 million candidates will take three national tests under the supervision of at least 250,000 teachers.
The first of these tests is the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) for Grade 6 students in the Competency-Based Curriculum. The other two are the Kenya Certificate of Basic Education (KCPE) for secondary school and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) for university transfer under the current 8-4-4 system.
One of the biggest challenges facing exams in Kenya is cheating. Cheaters will go to great lengths to cheat during the exam. Cheating has become so widespread in Kenya’s exams that the entire reputation of the country’s education system is at stake. The newly appointed Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Ezekiel Machogu, said he will ensure that there is no cheating. This is easier said than done.
He was thrown into the deep end with injuries and had to quickly overcome a steep learning curve. He is expected to pass a security test after a month on the job. The task is bigger than ever because this time the numbers are bigger and three national tests at the same time is unprecedented.
The test theft cartel did not respond to the threat. They had heard it before. Former CS professor George Magoha has adopted a scorched earth policy when it comes to cheating tests, but he still can’t get rid of it. Despite a year of hard work, the exam for 441 students in the 2021 exam was canceled due to cheating.
So Machogu has to be careful – the cartels don’t give up.
Prof. during his tenure at the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and the Ministry of Education, Magoha did a lot to prevent cheating. What is clear from his style is that we need a scorched earth policy to combat test cheating. Pay attention to the pain. Injuries face additional challenges to transition. It’s not a walk in the park where you have to pass three national exams immediately after entering office. The cartels will undoubtedly test his determination.
The country will return to a normal school calendar next year, which means Machogu will have a year to prepare for the next National Exam to avoid cheating.
According to residents, it is a personal test to determine skills in the institution. His speed will be a big test of his ability to fit big shoes in his pocket.
For President William Ruto’s administration, this is the first real test of leadership credibility. If he does this without a hitch, Kenyans’ skills and confidence in him will be greatly improved when he embarks on another programme.
Failure to do so will send a very negative message and increase the voice and will of the disgraced criminals to rule.
