Alarm over teachers linked to exam fraud
KCSE candidates write their exams. The increased involvement of teachers in aiding candidates to cheat in this year’s national examinations despite severe punishment for offenders has raised concern among education stakeholders. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Some of the teachers have been prosecuted in court and if found guilty, they risk spending years in jail.
- But despite the punishment, more teachers are still risking their careers.
- Four candidates who were found cheating have also been kicked out of the exercise which is in its second week.
The increased involvement of teachers in aiding candidates to cheat in this year’s national examinations despite severe punishment for offenders has raised concern among education stakeholders.
The teachers are supposed to instil discipline, integrity, hard work and honesty, among others virtues in learners, but interesting, they are ready to help candidates cheat.
Some of the teachers have been prosecuted in court and if found guilty, they risk spending years in jail or hefty fines besides losing their jobs.
But despite the punishment, more teachers are still risking their careers.
UNDER SURVEILLANCE
Before the start of exams, Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) put 220 schools in several counties under surveillance after it emerged that they were planning to cheat and some were demanding as much as Sh10,000 to facilitate the plan.
Knec and Teachers Service Commission are now forced to go back to the drawing board to establish reasons behind the surge in teacher-facilitated cheating.
The council is also concerned that teachers (centre managers, supervisors, and invigilators) who were thoroughly vetted and entrusted with the exercise are getting out of their way to assist candidates cheat.
Security officers, supervisors, centre managers and invigilators, who are not supposed to use their mobile phones during exams, have been linked to the scam. Teachers at the centres in cases where cheating has been detected usually have access to the ongoing examination materials, work on the answers then share with the candidates.
Already 40 teachers are under investigations by their employer TSC for their involvement in examination malpractices. Most of them have already been charged in court.
KICKED OUT
Four candidates who were found cheating have also been kicked out of the exercise which is in its second week.
A sacked centre manager had his certificate of practice withdrawn, therefore, he will not work as a teacher anymore.
The development also comes in the wake of sacking of a teacher and suspension of 45 others for up to six months in connection with irregularities in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam.
One of the reasons behind attempts by teachers to help candidates cheat is that they want schools to have a good mean grade.
Normally, principals are appreciated for good grades and parents offer them gifts, donations and even foreign trips when schools do well.
Teachers also do not want their subject’s mean grade to fall, the reason why they are willing to help candidates cheat. Those who record good results are rewarded with promotions like headship or heads of departments.
UNDER PRESSURE
Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kessha) chairman Kahi Indimuli admitted that schools are under pressure to post good results, but noted that should not be an excuse to engage in cheating.
“We are asking principals to allow candidates do their examinations and get grades that they deserve. It’s not worth it to risk your job by helping candidates to cheat,” said Mr Indimuli.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion blamed centre managers for the mess.
“Supervisors and invigilators are recruited to take care of the examinations, therefore, they should be left to do their work,” said Mr Sossion.
GREAT DISSERVICE
Moi University lecturer, Prof Okumu Bigambo, said examinations should be professionally done, noting teachers who are aiding candidates cheat are doing great disservice to the education sector.
“Credible examinations requires high level of integrity and teachers involved in cheating are killing a generation,” said Prof Bigambo.
This year, TSC asked it’s over 30,000 staff in management positions to pull up their socks or exit the service. In the past, head teachers and deputies who posted poor results or breached the teaching code would either be demoted or transferred.
Knec chairman Prof George Magoha has called for extreme vigilance to stop any student from sneaking in mobile phones into the examination rooms.
He pointed out that there were teachers who were succeeding in opening papers, photocopying them and going to various places where teachers are assembling and sending students answers through cell phones.
