Candidates sitting the deferred 2020 national examinations this month will do so in a new environment that factors in the special circumstances under which they have prepared for the tests.
The administration and marking of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams scheduled to begin in two weeks will consider the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the learners.
“Knec is aware that the candidates were out of school for a long time and has considered all those factors. We know the examinations will be different and will be administered with a human face. The results will not be outrageous,” Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha said yesterday during the launch of the examination period and issuance of security padlocks.
The event was held at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi and was attended by senior education and security officials.
However, Prof Magoha did not elaborate on how the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) will factor in the effects of Covid-19 in the administration and marking of the examinations.
The chair of the Knec council John Onsati said: “This year, the Covid-19 pandemic impacted negatively on the teaching and learning processes. This will call upon all of us to be aware of the situation on the ground and address any challenges appropriately. All efforts will be made to ensure that marking of national examinations will not be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
According to Dr John Mugo, the executive director of Zizi Afrique Foundation, one of the interventions that might be deployed would be to normalise the results after marking.
“You could work on the distribution of the scores per subject, check where the highest, majority and lowest scores are and decide to add, say like five marks to create a normal curve,” Dr Mugo told the Nation.
He, however, added that whatever formula is used should not disadvantage the candidates.
“Marks cannot be arbitrarily increased. The process must be scientific,” Dr Mugo said, adding that there may be aspects of training for examiners also on how to mark this year’s examinations.
Dr Onsati said that Knec will increase the number of marking centres to reduce congestion of examiners in the centres and enhance efficiency.
The long break from school last year, forced by the outbreak of the pandemic, caused extensive learning loss among schoolchildren.
Parents and other stakeholders have voiced concerns over the performance of the candidates if the examinations are conducted without any interventions. The majority of KCPE candidates scored below average in the school-based assessment that was administered by Knec last year just after they reopened.
The KCPE exam will begin on March 22 and end on March 24. KCSE will start on March 26 and end on April 21.
Prof Magoha said that apprehension about the candidates’ performance has created the likelihood of cheating. He instructed school heads, who will act as the examination centre managers, to be extra-vigilant and ensure that there is no cheating.
“I urge all of us to be mindful of our candidates, some of whom are in one way or the other affected by the pandemic. We must all take cognisance of the environment of the 2020 examinations and give hope to all candidates by assuring them that none of them will be disadvantaged in the examination process,” Prof Magoha said.
The CS also announced that supervisors and invigilators will not be deployed in the same examination centres for more than two consecutive years.
Others were married, have given birth or are pregnant while some boys have dropped out to engage in businesses.
Teachers Service Commission (TSC) chief executive Nancy Macharia announced that 227,679 teachers will serve as invigilators, supervisors, centre managers and examiners.
She revealed that the commission has cancelled annual leave and field activities for all the field officers so that they may be deployed to monitor the exams. Also recalled from leave are all officers at the Ministry of Education.
There will be two command centres monitoring the examinations, one based at the Knec headquarters and the other at the Ministry of Interior at Harambee House to deal with security matters.
The examination materials will be distributed from 479 containers (distribution centres) whose keys will be in the custody of deputy county commissioners and assistant county commissioners. Each container will be manned by four armed security officers on a 24/7 basis but additional security officers might be deployed if the need arises.
Interior PS Karanja Kibicho led the 339 deputy county commissioners present in swearing that they will ensure integrity in the conduct of the exams. He represented CS Fred Matiang’i.
