By Rosemil Oduor
Candidates sitting this year’s KCPE have been given room to review their secondary school choices.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha said the move is to enable candidates who have assessed their likely performance in exams to revise their school choices.
The candidates are expected to choose 11 schools: four national, four extra-county, two county and a day school.
Prof Magoha said that he had directed Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) to open a window to allow revision of school selection and that the exercise should be complete by August 2.
Speaking at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, the CS said that at the end of the revision period, candidates would not be able to change schools anymore.
He also assured the candidates that they will be selected, based on merit to one of the schools they selected.
Prof Magoha urged candidates to adequately prepare for the national exams saying those who engage in exam malpractices will be punished.
Revision of secondary school selection is amongst the raft of measures to reform form one selection. Others include giving priority to learners with high scores and those from marginalized areas.
In a bid to protect the sanctity of national exams, the Ministry has set up a multi-sectoral approach including the Teachers Service Commission and ministries of Interior and ICT to ensure exam results are of high integrity. The team will also extend security surveillance in the exam centres up to a radius of two kilometres.
He also noted that the government had increased the number of examination containers from 459 last year to 479 to reduce the distance exposing exam materials to dishonest individuals.
