Matiang’i defends KCSE results, hits out at critics

Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i on Monday defended the credibility of last year’s KCSE results and vowed to continue with strict measures to eliminate cheating in national exams.

Dr Matiang’i said the exams were marked according to international standards and that all the grades were thoroughly reviewed. As such, he said, all candidates were awarded marks that reflect their abilities.

He was speaking at Monday’s ceremony to award Wings To Fly scholarships to KCPE candidates who performed exceptionally well in last year’s exams. The ceremony was held at the Moi Sports Stadium, Kasarani, in Nairobi. The Wings To Fly programme is sponsored by Equity Bank.

The CS told off those who have called for an audit of the results, saying they were not well-informed, had ill intentions and were out to derail the campaign to end exam cheating.

“We ran a credible examination and released formidable results in both the KCPE and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations,” Dr Matiang’i said.

Among those who raised questions about how the exams were marked are Cord leader Raila Odinga and Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary-General Wilson Sossion.

Mr Sossion has called for a forensic audit of the results, saying that they were “doctored”.

DEFENDED MARKING

But Dr Matiangi defended the marking and commended the markers for exemplary professionalism.

“We will not, under any circumstances whatsoever, second guess and besmirch their work, belittle their professionalism or cast aspersions on their integrity merely on the basis of the overall national performance in any of those examinations,” he said.

The release of the KCSE results took many by surprise as it was done four days after the final paper was marked. Critics have argued that time was too short to carry out all post-marking procedures, which include standardising grades based on performance of candidates in individual subjects.

Part of the reason the results were released early was to eliminate cases where some individuals colluded with schools to change grades after the marking at a fee. The period of doing processes such as standardisation was shortened to curb collusion that in the past gave rise to inflated good grades.

MASSIVE CHEATING

While the 2015 results were riddled with massive cheating, the 2016 results have received commendation.

The CS pointed out that the ministry was maintaining tough standards to eliminate inequalities in performance where students from well-to-do backgrounds obtained leaked exams.

“Past beneficiaries of leaked KCPE exams went on to join the best schools where they also benefited from stolen KCSE exams only for them to flop in the competitive programmes at universities, such as medicine and engineering, to which they were admitted,” said Dr Matiang’i. “We will remain firm and determined to make the difference that will level the examination playground for all children.”

The CS also said the government has the capacity to absorb 400,000 students under the Technical and Vocational Training Institutions (TVET).

This is close to the number of KCSE candidates that did not attain university entry marks.

He said the government had allocated some Sh900 million to cater for student loans for those who will apply and asked to those who did not get an opportunity to enter university to apply to join TVET institutions.

“We must shift from the populist view of white-collar jobs, which are highly pegged on university degree qualifications, and focus more on skills-oriented approaches that equip our youth with practical skill sets that match their aspirations and can help our country to become a middle income industrialised nation,” he said.