‘We are not failures,’ E graders fighting stigma after exams

A stone's throw away sits the E Graders Association office, tucked into the edges of the area. The association's name is painted in colourful graffiti on the walls of a quaint building.

Outside a group of individuals who form the association sit on seats reading books. Young and old, they came together years ago after receiving an "E" grade during their KCSE examination period and are now breaking the stigma around the grade by being vocal and supporting those who received a similar grade.

This is an important step, considering that in the past some have died by suicide after receiving an E grade.

“We came out to express ourselves and give others, particularly in informal settlements, who also received a similar grade hope that there is life after an E grade," says Wycliffe Omondi, the association’s vice chair.

The presence of the association is especially timely, as it is just over a week since the release of the 2023 KCSE results, which saw a probe launched on mass failures after 48,174 candidates scored the lowest mean grade.

While a shadow is often cast on the often-forgotten group of those who did not manage to attain high grades, the E graders association says that society has placed too much priority on grades and not the potential of the individual.

Read: ‘Getting a D in KCSE was not the end of life for me’

“In our neighbourhood, you will often see many of those who scored these grades just idling. They are judged harshly and are often the top suspects of being thugs. We as E graders believe this can change," Ayub Simba Njagi, the Association’s Chairman states.

Last year, a family from Embu County lamented about how their son, Frank Macharia, sunk into depression after scoring a lower grade than he expected in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations.

“He has been lonely and spends most of the time in his room. We keep on checking on him throughout," the father, Julius Kang’ethe, said.

Frank had been a candidate at Embu Shepherd Academy and had performed well throughout his education but scored 371 marks in KCPE, which his parents said fell below his expectations.

His, mother who found him crying at home after receiving the results, tried to console and encourage him to accept his grades.

“I felt that all my hard work had gone down the drain in one exam,” the boy said at the time.

E graders' Wycliffe Omondi also recalls his personal experiences after receiving of his performance.

“Receiving an E grade was very painful because my parents had high expectations of me. But I chose not to wallow in despair,” he says.

Read: Against all odds - Selfless boda boda rider set for university education

On his part, Simba did some research after receiving his grade and discovered that those who score E grades in KCSE are in the thousands. This is what motivated him to support others with a similar grade.

“Parents stop putting their children under pressure to score high grades. That in itself could prove to be counterproductive,” he says.

“We have had successes in our organisation, including collaborating with the National Youth Service (NYS), which amazingly enrolled four of our members,” he says.

The late Cabinet Secretary for Education, Prof George Magoha, once revealed that he only scored an A in one subject in his final high school examinations. He argued that one does not need an A grade to succeed in life.

But the case of Mary Wambui, who sat for her KCSE examination in 2015 and scored an E, is a very sad one. She said she worked hard to study despite suffering from epilepsy.

“I sat for my exams while struggling with poor health, which slowed me down considerably. I was not aware at the time that it also caused me to fail to grasp what was being taught in class,” she says.

Upon receiving her results, Wambui confesses that she felt like a complete failure. However, she her parents have been very supportive.

“I was sad for some time and asked myself what I would do for the rest of my life. Then it occurred to me that I could go into business here in Kariobangi. I spoke to my very supportive father and my business of supplying ice was born. My mother has also been very supportive,” she says.

Read: KCSE exams - This is how the 2023 class fared

Wambui is just one of the people who have created a community around the E graders association.

“I sat for my KCSE in 2022 and scored an E. However, I gave myself hope and strength because in life, you can never lose hope,” says Francis Matuna, also a member of the association.

In the 2023 KCSE examinations, more than 3,000 candidates failed to sit for their examinations.

Nixon Oyollo who missed the examinations in 2018 says that he dropped out after constantly receiving E grades, which turned into an exhausting cycle.

“I threw my hands up and said schooling was not a must and dropped out. I fell into bad company and it is only a few years ago that I realised my mistake. I joined the association and changed my ways,” he says.

The E graders believe that the government can play its part in changing perceptions about the grade.

“We have approached the Nairobi County government to empower our members. We are waiting for their feedback,” Wycliffe says.

Last year, parents and leaners from Kitengela International School moved to court to stop the Form One selection process by the government due to what they deemed as irregularities in KCPE final grading.

Some candidates' grades were indicated as Kenyan Sign Language, despite them not sitting for that subject.

“The Cabinet Secretary of Education and the Kenya National Examinations Council Chair are accountable. They dropped the ball and the President should take action and weed out those who played a part in it because removing that stigma from a child is very difficult,” says Simba.

The E graders said they will continue championing for a safe space for those they feel they underperformed, particularly in informal settlements, more so as the CBC system takes effect.

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