By Norah Musega
Education cabinet secretary, Prof. George Magoha has expressed faith in the ability of teachers and the services they rendered to the candidates as Kenya Certificate for Secondary Education kicked off yesterday.
The CS who opened the exam container at Kisii said students are well prepared and that they should be allowed to sit the exam peacefully and without causing any panic and mayhem.
He however instructed the exam centre managers (the school heads) to give room to the exam officers they have been provided with by the Kenya National Examination Council to execute their duties as per the description of their positions.
“Do not send the police officers out of the exam rooms with a claim that they are scaring the candidates, but you should have faith in the ability of your teachers because they have done enough to prepare the candidates,” stated Magoha.
He stressed that the exercise must be treated with utmost seriousness it requires to cub cheating at whatever level of the exam.
He urged all the involved officials in the exams to ensure they do whatever necessary to protect the candidates and their future by not giving room to exam irregularities. He gave a narration of the 2019 scenario where there was sharing of photographs during the exams.
Magoha directed that all invigilators who arrive late in their exam centres must be replaced immediately. He highlighted the KCPE scenario where four invigilators at Kisii primary school arrived late and were sent away and replaced immediately on Dr. Julius Jwan the PS for early learning and basic education orders.
The CS later left Kisii County for Migori County. The two had in the recent past been on the ministry of education’s watch list after the CS announced the involvement of some officials in alleged exam irregularities which also saw several candidates fail to get the results for the same reason.
Magoha also noted that this is the first national exams to be done under special circumstances following the Covid 19 pandemic.
“The government has enough resources to deploy to all the exam centres and enough money to spend to ensure our children get credible examination and we should stop all the negative debates on the exercise,” he said.
