Schools free to review revoked KCSE exam results

Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang speaks before the National Assembly's Education Committee at Protection House, Nairobi, on April 19, 2018. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • In January, Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) cancelled the results of 1,205 in 10 schools over malpractices.
  • Dr Kipsang said the ministry would respect court orders and allow the students and their parents to go through the scripts.

Schools whose Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam results were cancelled due to cheating will be given an opportunity to scrutinise them as directed by court, Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has said.

Dr Kipsang told National Assembly’s Education committee on Thursday that all schools that have requested that the cancelled results be reviewed will get the opportunity.

“We will give others the same opportunity to go through the same process,” Dr Kipsang said, adding that the tough measures being taken by the Ministry of Education are for the good of the students.

In January, Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) cancelled the results of 1,205 in 10 schools over malpractices in last year’s exams.

COURT ORDERS
However, some schools such as Chebuyusi High School, Ortum and St Cecilia Secondary schools went to court and the cancellations were quashed.

Dr Kipsang said the ministry would respect court orders and allow the students and their parents to go through the scripts to understand why the results were cancelled.

“We will reform our examinations systems so that results are not an end to itself. This will help remove high stakes attached to the examination,” the PS told the committee.

He said the council invited representatives from Chebuyusi Boys High School on March 28 to a meeting as directed by Justice George Odunga on March 21.

“The purpose of the meeting was to afford them an opportunity to be heard, which was in line with orders of Justice Odunga pertaining a case in which parents of the school had sued the council and which required that it affords the school an opportunity to be heard,” Dr Kipsang explained.

MEETING
However, the MPs put Dr Kipsang to task regarding how their colleagues Emmanuel Wangwe (Navakholo) and Benard Shinali (Ikolomani) were treated at the council offices in Nairobi during the meeting with the parents.

The two had gone to the council and wanted to be part of the meeting but were blocked by security officers.

They told the committee that as representatives of the people it was wrong to deny them access to the meeting, with Mr Wangwe arguing that he was paying fees for close to 20 students at the school.

SECURITY
But Dr Kipsang said the council was not aware the MPs were attending the meeting and could therefore not make arrangements to receive them.

“Due to the nature of the matter that was to be discussed, strict security was enforced at the venue and all participants were required to leave all mobile or electronic devices outside the meeting room,” he said.

He said the requirement was applied to everyone, including the acting CEO.

“The security team at the gate was informed that no one should be allowed to interrupt the proceedings once they commenced,” he said.