By Fredrick Odiero
The Parliamentary select committee on education has said it will make radical proposals against the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) as a way of curbing exam cheating once and for all.
A member of the committee, Nabii Nabwera, said that all fingers have been pointing at the examination body as the committee went around the country in order to collect views from the public.
Nabwera who is the Lugari Member of Parliament said examination cheating has lowered the confidence of local institutions and made local graduates suspects as they go out of the country for further studies.
He was speaking at the Mama Grace Onyango social hall in Kisumu, saying that even some local private universities go to the extent of subjecting local Form Four graduates to bridging courses before they can be admitted since Kenyan examinations have lost credibility due to cheatings.
Nabwera at the same time said they will also ensure that ranking of learning institutions when examinations are released is eliminated once and for all.
He pointed out that ranking of schools has been causing cutthroat competitions which in turn lead to unorthodox methods of acquiring good grades.
The committee member who led the Kisumu team said the same competition has resulted in illegal levies in the name of motivational fees for external speakers.
He wondered how more than three thirds of a candidates in a school can all score plain As.
Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KEPSHA) Kisumu County chapter chairperson Elly Ondiek said cheating was also evident in primary school examinations.
Ondiek said KNEC officials are squarely to blame for the vice since they are the custodians of national examinations.
He said more stringent measures should be put in place including heavy jail terms in order to stem the vice.
His secondary counterpart George Opiyo said teaching has taken a different dimension where the culprits use telegram to leak examination.
“The government should also infiltrate that network and dismantle it once and for all,” he said.
He said examiners who detect cases of cheating are vilified and left on their own.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Kisumu city branch Chairman David Obuon said promotion of teachers based on performance also leads to exam cheating.
He said school heads and teachers alike will go out of their way including cheating in order to acquire good grades.
Obuon said teachers should be promoted based on academic qualifications.
Other committee members who were present included Dr. Christine Ombaka and Peter Orero
