MAGOHA DEFENDS KCPE’S CREDIBILITY

Education ministry Cabinet Secretary (CS), Prof. George Magoha has rubbished a media report in one of the local dailies doubting  credibility of the just concluded KCPE.

Speaking in Kisii  county after opening a container for this year’s KCSE, a furious CS  explained setting national exams adhered to an elaborate waterproof  stakeholder  system.

He said the exam setters included the Kenya National Examination Council, Ministry of Education and universities.

Magoha is on record warning  schools caught cheating in this national examinations of stiff  penalties.

But the daily newspaper appeared to indicate the  national exam body for lifting sections in  the KCPE English and Social Studies papers from two text books and exam predication papers sold to private schools.

According to the newspaper, the text books were not approved by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development and that the prediction papers had been sold to candidates in private schools.

This gave the candidates from private schools an edge over their counterparts in public learning institutions who could not afford the papers, it further claimed.

The  newspaper report had quoted stakeholders in the education sector as criticizing the KNEC for the unprofessional conduct even as its response was eagerly awaited. 

Meanwhile, tough ministry of education KCSE supervisory measures have been cascaded to the grass-root to curb any irregularities that might crop up.

Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) in charge of ICD, Innovation and Youth Affairs, Maurine Mbaka was at Kenyenya to commission a container for this year’s  KCSE for the sub county as one of the top  government officers overseeing the integrity of the exam.

Visiting Magena Girls Secondary School in the area, the CAS assured the candidates of the government’s commitment to evaluate the exam in a fair manner to commensurate their efforts disrupted by Covid-19.

Mbaka urged the candidates to strictly observe ministry of health protocols on coronavirus in and outside their schools to avert contacting the pandemic.