The 1.4 million candidates who the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination will get their results before Christmas.
Basic Education Principal Secretary, Belio Kipsang, said the results would be released “early enough to allow for placement in secondary school and give parents time to plan for fees”.
After supervising the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination at Naivasha Girls High school in Nakuru County on Friday, November 10, Dr Kipsang said the Kenya National Examination Council has begun marking KCPE test papers.
“We can release these results in good time to allow us to place our children in schools. They need to go into Christmas as they celebrate and aware that they have responsibilities to take care of in January,” said the PS
“They will have known the schools the children have been placed, the fees expectations and all that”.
Despite the heavy rains and flooding in Tana River, Marsabit, Mandera, Turkana and several other counties, Dr Kipsang said the government will facilitate the Ministry of Education deliver the examination materials using helicopters.
“Notwithstanding the heavy rains, every child has done the examination. I can say with confidence that we have had a good run. We hope to finish the run well in two weeks.”
The PS said the government has increased surveillance of the KCSE examination, mobilising the entire machinery to eliminate irregularities.
He stressedthat this year’s tests are the most guarded, with government officials actively participating in the monitoring.
“For the time I have been around, I can confirm this has been our best run. There is no early exposure of the materials. We are working closely with colleagues from different departments to ensure there is no leakage,” he said.
“With the support and coordination, we will achieve our objectives. The children will realise their full potential.”
According to the PS, the Ministries of Education, Interior and ICT are working closely to ensure the test runs smoothly.
He commended Knec for its enhanced coordination, “which has neutralised cheating, especially through social media”.
Dr Kipsang praised the efforts of the ICT department, police, the Communication Authority of Kenya and cybercrime department in frustrating social media traffickers.
Of the 11,000 exam stations, Dr Kipsang said, only seven centre managers have been excluded for suspected engagement in malpractice.
He applauded principals for their commitment to the government’s reforms, such as picking up examinations materials twice a day, which has proved effective in preventing the earlier exposure of exam papers.
