Education Cabinet Secretary George Professor George Magoha has revealed that preparations for this year’s national examinations have been finalized.
Magoha has said that the indulgency approach to managing the examination process is going to be intensified adding that they have set proof-read and printed.
He confirmed that the preparations for the exams are complete and that they have even enhanced the security features of the examination process.
Speaking at St Stephens Lwanya Girls High School in Busia County during the Matayos sub county Education Day on Friday, Professor Magoha assured Kenyans that the integrity of the examinations would be maintained.
He used the platform to encourage the candidates that the examination is very simple noting that they are going to improve on what they did last time.
“You will see me going round like the other time but I will not announce when I will be coming,” Magoha said.
He however warned parents and teachers to be on the lookout for exams cartels targeting them with fake exams papers, calling upon teachers to desist from rushing with the Syllabus after it emerged that some schools had already completed the syllabus in March.
“It is very important for teachers to take their time and ensure that their students have understood the syllabus well by at least July or September, there is no need to rush the students through revision only to register poor results for missing concepts,” he stated.
He said the Ministry is mauling over plans to harmonise exam results for candidates in marginalised areas to enable them get placement in National schools.
Magoha revealed that they are working on a formula so that a candidate from a slightly marginalised county who manages to get 390 marks is equated to someone who scored 450 in non-marginalised region therefore landing in National schools.
He maintained that the competence based curriculum will go on as planned and that no one is going to stop the government policy, calling upon education managers to be very careful on “crooks” going round in schools claiming to conduct research on the new curriculum.
He said the government has set aside Sh 8 billion towards improvement of infrastructure in this fiscal year.
Magoha said that the university reforms will come later after everything has been done assuring stakeholders that there is no need for being afraid.
“We are merging universities and we are going to inform you starting with the main stakeholders who are the faculty, the students and the unions.”
He added, “There is no point for example for having 31 universities teaching history, 31 teaching Geography, another 31 teaching business, there is a problem and we are going to face that problem without blink.”
He reiterated that the issues within the university sector are very serious and must be dealt with as soon as possible.
The CS pointed out that certificates issued after completion of a course mean nothing, adding that certification should be at the end of the entire skilling process.
