Education minister Fred Matiang'i visits Kwale on last day of KCPE exam
Education Cabinet Fred Matiang'i greets Form Four students at Tiwi Secondary School in Kwale County on November 3, 2016. Dr Matiang’i toured various examination centers on the last day of the 2016 KCPE exams. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The minister gave the exam a clean bill of health saying it had been properly secured and leakages and cheating contained.
- He said measures put in place to curb examination cheating across the county have succeeded.
- Dr Matiang'i attributed the success to the coordination between his office, the Ministry of Interior and headteachers.
- He said storage of exam materials in containers ensured that they were not tampered with.
Cabinet Secretary for Education Fred Matiang'i early Thursday morning visited Kwale County on the last day of the 2016 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam.
Dr Matiang'i witnessed the opening of a container holding exam papers at Msambweni Sub-County headquarters at 5am before visiting candidates in three schools in the county.
The minister then visited Tiwi, Jomo Kenyatta and Msingi Bora primary schools where he wished the pupils well as they sat their exams.
He urged them to accept the results of the exam once they are released.
The minister gave the exam a clean bill of health saying it had been properly secured and leakages and cheating contained.
He said measures put in place to curb examination cheating across the county have succeeded.
"Apart from the isolated case in Kisauni, this time round we have all left Jogoo House (to monitor the exam) and I can tell you that KCPE exams for 2016 have gone perfectly well," he said.
GOOD COORDINATION
Dr Matiang'i attributed the success to the coordination between his office, the Ministry of Interior and headteachers.
He noted that similar methods of setting up examination collection points will be used for the KCSE exam.
"I am now receiving feedback from all school heads and I can tell you that they are also happy," he said.
Dr Matiang’i said storage of exam materials in containers ensured that they were not tampered with.
He added that headteachers, supervisors and security officers applied the training they received regarding the handling of exams.
“Our new system of administering exams is working. Headteachers have been committed from the start by waking up early and going to collection centres,” said Dr Matiang’i.
On the issue of provision of food to candidates, Dr Matiang’i suggested that it should be best done through coordination with the regional administration and sub-county directors of education.
He supported the decision by Coast Regional Coordinator Nelson Marwa to ban supply of food in schools during the exam period.
"Those who are pretending to take food to schools do not have the interest of students at heart," he said.
The minister was accompanied by Kwale County Commissioner Kutswa Olaka and County Director of Education Paschal Makite, among others.
