Editorials
We wish candidates success in the exams
Starting Tuesday, 727,000 candidates will sit the all-important Standard Eight examinations, knowing well their academic future depends on how well they perform.
The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations provide the only opportunity for the pupils to be assessed on what they have been taught and prepared for over the past eight years. The candidates are using the tests to determine which of the 6,000 secondary schools would admit them for Form One in January.
ranted, we have limited opportunities in the secondary schools; the candidates go into the tests knowing that less than half of them would find secondary school places. Even worse is the fact that just 3,000 of them will find places in national schools, which admit the top cream.
For many years, this competition has forced some schools and teachers to assist candidates to cheat so they get top marks and quality for the top institutions. This is a culture that must be stopped.
By letting candidates to be honest, we are almost certain they will shun the practice at secondary level. Perhaps, we would not have been witnessing cases of cheating witnessed in the past week in the Form Four exams had we cared to stop it at the lower level.
For cheating doesn’t help anyone other than soil the credibility of our exam system. We think exam officials have a big role to play in ensuring the tests are administered professionally. Meanwhile, the government should make plans to ensure the rains do not disrupt the tests in some parts of the country as have warned some aid agencies.
The Education ministry should also start devising ways of ensuring that most of the candidates find places in secondary schools when results are announced next month. As the candidates conduct rehearsals on Monday, we wish them success.
RSS