Knec blames varsity students for cheating in Form Four exams
Kenya National Examination Council Chief Executive Officer Paul Wasanga (right) and Deputy Secretary Examination Management Ambia Guhad Noor address Journalists at Knec offices on November 11, 2013 on the preparedness of the Council to handle Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam which starts Tuesday. He said that 20 University students have been arrested for aiding cheating in the on-going KCSE examinations. PHOTO/EVANS HABIL.
What you need to know:
- Twelve are from Kisii University.
- Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) chief executive officer Paul Wasanga said the university students were sending extracts of the exam questions.
- Mr Wasanga said the 20 had already been charged in court with committing exam offences.
- Mr Wasanga said Knec had begun establishing an accurate database of all contracted markers for security and accountability reasons.
The national examiner has raised the alarm over the large number of university students involved in exam cheating, with 20 of them so far arrested.
Twelve are from Kisii University.
Some of the arrested students are from the University of Nairobi, Egerton University, the Jomo Kenyatta University, Eldoret University, Kibabii University and Kabianga University, among other tertiary institutions.
They are accused of sending Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam questions to candidates and teachers in different parts of the country.
Addressing a press conference in Nairobi Monday, Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) chief executive officer Paul Wasanga said the university students were sending extracts of the exam questions.
He said they do so after getting them from unscrupulous supervisors and teachers who open the exam packages, photocopy the KCSE question papers and reseal them.
“A board of governors teacher from Lwanda High School sent extracts of examination questions to some students at Kisii University,” Mr Wasanga said.
MORALITY
“This begs the question once again of the morality level of such teachers and university students.”
Mr Wasanga said the 20 had already been charged in court with committing exam offences.
Private university students had also joined the cartel, Mr Wasanga said.
One Mt Kenya University student had been arrested for allegedly sending extracts of KCSE exam questions to some candidates in Embu County, the exams boss said.
“As we battle with cheating in examinations, it is unfortunate that most of the people perpetuating the malpractice are teachers themselves, who have been given the responsibility of ensuring integrity in national examinations,” Mr Wasanga said.
Meanwhile, some 844,530 Kenya Certificate of Primary Examination candidates will start their examination Tuesday.
They include 906 candidates in South Sudan, whose papers were flown out on Sunday.
UNSCRUPULOUS
As a rule, exam papers are delivered to police armouries two days before the start of the national tests.
Previously, the papers used to be delivered two weeks in advance.
The shortened time is meant to reduce chances of leakages where unscrupulous officers may be tempted to disclose the contents to candidates, their teachers or parents.
Mr Wasanga said that the candidates’ safety was in check as over 48,000 security personnel have been sent to over 23,000 exam centres.
Mr Wasanga said Knec had begun establishing an accurate database of all contracted markers for security and accountability reasons.
