By Roy Hezron
The Ministry of Education has issued a warning to primary schools illegally transferring Grade 7 learners to Standard 8.
In a circular dated February 8, 2023 and addressed to all Regional and County Directors of Education, the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Basic Education Dr. Belio Kipsang has now directed all the field officers to validate all registration data for this year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates.
“All field officers are asked to validate all registration data for KCPE and point out any abnormal increase in KCPE candidature against 2022 class 7 enrollment,” said Dr. Kipsang in the Circular.
“The officers are also instructed to liaise with the officers from the State Department for Citizen Service on issues of birth certificate issuance that is abnormal. Any school found to engage in such malpractice must be reported to this office for action,” he added.
According to the Ministry, the illegal transfer involves falsification of school records, birth records and bio data of Grade 7 learners; attempts to change or obtain new birth certificates by parents to aid in the malpractice; generation of new UPI (Unique Personal Identification) for continuing learners and facilitating transfers of grade 7 into other schools and presenting them as class 8 transfers.
“The Ministry has been made aware of attempts by some Primary Schools to register Grade 7 learners for 2023 KCPE…The above presents a serious breach of ethics and integrity by schools,” warned the PS.
The Circular was also copied to the Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, Teachers Service Commission Secretary and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Nancy Macharia, Principal Secretary in the State Department of Citizen Service Amb. (Prof) Julius Bitok and Kenya Private School Association (KPSA) CEO Peter Ndoro.
This came few days after Education CS Machogu on Tuesday cautioned schools and parents against registering Grade Seven learners to sit KCPE during a virtual meeting with Regional Coordinators of Education, County Directors of Education and Sub-county Directors of Education.
The transfer implies that the Grade 7 learners who are pioneers of the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) under the 2-6-6-3 are now being transferred to complete their education under the 8-4-4 system.
