Education CS Amina Mohamed yesterday cautioned secondary school principals against allowing strangers into exam centres.
She said those who fail to comply will be arrested and prosecuted. Amina said only the centre manager (principal), his deputy, cooks and some nonteaching staff will be allowed in school compounds.
“Everybody else has to leave the centres and will be arrested and prosecuted if found. We won’t allow students to be exposed to foreign materials or have other people write the exam on their behalf. It won’t happen,” she said in Murang’a town.
The CS opened the container for Mathematics and Chemistry papers.
She expressed concern that 15 people were arrested on Tuesday for attempting to smuggle foreign materials into exam centres in Western and Nyanza.
She assured, however, that no student was exposed to the materials by the time the suspects were nabbed.
The government is fully in charge and has a complete surveillance system to avert cheating. The measures help to detect suspected ills and stop them in time, Amina said.
“This is a further confirmation that this year’s exam will not be leaked. The 15 suspects are now in police custody,” the Cabinet secretary said.
The ministry is keen on delivering credible results. Amina warned that anyone planning to cheat will be subjected to the full force of the law.
Teachers, parents and other sector players must be wary of those trying to collude with them to compromise the exam, she cautioned, adding that the environment must be fair and stable to instil confidence among candidates.
Amina visited Mumbi Girls High School and found the candidates upbeat.
“Telling them that they have wasted four years in school and have not learnt anything, or that their teachers did not do their work and would now smuggle materials into the exam centres, would be to dampen their enthusiasm,” she said.
Candidates who have prepared well for the exam can achieve their potential and become what they aspire to be, Amina added.
She emphasised that all candidates will be absorbed into universities or technical vocational and training institutions and plans have been made to achieve that.
She condoled with families of two students who died on the first day of exam in Murang’a and Nyamira counties.