Analysis shows over half of candidates scored D and below in KCSE

More than half the candidates who sat this year’s Form Four examination failed to get a grade that can allow pursue a professional course.

This is despite the government spending close to Sh20 billion on the students in the last four years.

An analysis of the results shows that 343,897 candidates scored grade D and below.

It means they cannot apply for professional courses or even be employed as police officers since the entry grade to the service is D+.

An analysis of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education results, which were released on Friday, indicates that 147,918 students attained grade D, some 165,139 had D- while 30,840 candidates scored E.

The 40,707 students who scored C and 71,047 who had C- will be able to join technical and vocational training institutes and teachers training colleges.

UNIVERSITY ENTRY GRADE

This year, the number of candidates who scored the minimum university entry mean grade of C+ and above is 90,377 or 13.77 per cent of the total number of those who sat the tests.

In 2017, the number was 70,073 or just 11.38 per cent of the candidates.

The total number of students who sat the examination this year was 660,204, with 338,628 being male while 321,576 were female, representing 51.29 per cent and 48.71 per cent respectively.

It means only one in seven KCSE examination candidates achieved the university entry grade.

The number translates to 15 per cent of the 2018 KCSE test candidates.

Last year, education experts, teachers unions and other stakeholders raised concerns following the mass failure and called for investigations.

In the 2017 KCSE examination, some 314,035 candidates scored grade D and below.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers and the Kenya Post Primary Education Teachers Union complained that the number could not proceed to university and college or even secure gainful employment.

REDUCED SUBSTANTIALLY

The group is now joined another 295,463 boys and girls.

Mass mass failure in the last three years has also raised questions on the government’s hyped plan to achieve a 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary schooling.

Yesterday, education experts said the huge number of young men and women failing examinations is a ticking time bomb.

According to a Kuppet report released early this month, KCSE examination performance for 2016 and last year was peculiar. .

“Poor performance in national examinations is a precursor for crime, unhealthy behaviour and has a bearing on emotional balance, democracy and social cohesion,” the report said.

The teachers’ union added that the mass failure may have led to the loss of more than Sh56 billion and substantially reduced the capital base for public and private universities in the country.

Kuppet added that curriculum implementation has been affected by the clamour for the mean score, making skills development subsidiary.

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

The report further noted that 70 per cent of students in secondary schools rarely search for new knowledge from books in libraries to enhance their creativity and innovation.

“The learners instead concentrate on revision materials,” the report added.

While releasing the results, Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said candidates failed in many papers in the past because they did not have adequate depth of content and could not apply the syllabus critically when answering questions.

She said in 2017, most candidates’ answers to questions requiring elaborate responses were not tackled adequately.

“However, based on this year’s results, these gaps appear to have been addressed,” the minister said.

Moi University lecturer Okumu Bigambo on Saturday said the mass failure is an matter that must be addressed quickly.

“There is a lot of gambling in our education. Exams are being manned by police officers. Anyone sitting for a national test should be in a relaxed environment. The atmosphere was not good,” Prof Bigambo told the Nation.