The National Treasury has urged the Ministry of Education to explore more cost-effective methods for managing national examinations. This follows Cabinet-level concerns about the hefty costs incurred, particularly since the exams are currently being printed abroad.
Speaking during a Citizen TV town hall session on Monday evening, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi revealed that the government is uneasy about the KSh11 billion spent annually on national assessments.
He raised questions about the decision to outsource exam printing, despite the country having the capacity to produce other secure documents locally, such as passports.
“As a Cabinet, we didn’t like how much money was being spent on exams; we didn’t understand why they are printed in another country while we can print sensitive documents here,” Mbadi said.
As a result, the Ministry of Education has been directed to design a more affordable and efficient strategy for conducting national exams.
This directive comes amid ongoing conversations around exam fee reforms and long-term sustainability of the assessment process.
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Mbadi added, “The ministry needs to create a realistic plan for running and funding exams, not the Sh11 billion we are spending now.”
His remarks followed public anxiety after it emerged that the government was considering ending the national exam fee waiver introduced in 2015.
Initially, funding for critical exams such as the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) had been left out of the 2024–2025 budget. However, Mbadi has since moved to reassure the public that the government will cover this year’s exam costs.
“We initially did not set aside money for exams this year, but now we have found the funds. I promise all Kenyan students that they will be able to sit for their exams. The government will cover the costs; we just need to change the system,” Mbadi said.
The earlier proposal was to discontinue the universal fee waiver and instead offer financial assistance only to learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. This approach was driven by growing budgetary constraints but drew criticism from parents and education stakeholders, who warned it would negatively affect access to education for low-income families.
Now, the Treasury is emphasising prudent spending in the education sector, with a particular focus on reducing the cost of administering national exams.
By Joseph Mambili
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