The 2021 Kenya Certificate of Primary School Examination (KCPE) has started this morning where more than 1.2 million candidates were expected to sit the national examinations.
In Nyeri County, the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Implementation of Curriculum Reforms in the Ministry of Education Prof Fatuma Chege, supervised the opening and distribution of the KCPE examination papers at the Nyeri Central Deputy County Commissioners office on Monday.
She said the Ministry of Education had noted the continuous improvement in examination supervision over the years due to the collaboration between government ministries and State agencies in the examination process.
Prof Chege however asked the security team to ensure that they assist the examination officials to create a relaxed exam atmosphere while adhering to the examination guidelines set out by the Kenya National Examination Council.
“As we oversee these examinations, we have to remember that these children have been preparing themselves for a very long time so they know what they are doing. But an examination moment is a moment of anxiety and ours is to give them the confidence that they are going to engage in weighing themselves in what they have been preparing for, for all those eight years,” she said.
Prof Chege also said that the collaboration between different government ministries and agencies in administering the national examinations had helped in restoring the confidence in the examination process and in reducing the exam irregularities that characterized national exams in the past.
“Our continued collaboration between the Ministry of Interior, ICT and other government ministries that are involved in this exercise is a demonstration of how one government works together from one perspective to ensure that our examinations are credible and can be validated,” said Prof Chege.
According to the County Director of Education Sabina Aroni, a total of 16,668 candidates in 445 examination centres would be sitting their KCPE examinations in Nyeri. Out of this number, 17 are inmates from the King’ong’o maximum prison. The county has also registered four private centres where adult learners have registered for the 2021 KCPE exams.
“One of our candidates is currently admitted at the Mukurwe-ini sub-county hospital and we have made adequate arrangements to ensure he sits for his examinations,” said Aroni.
On the first day of the national examination, candidates will sit for the mathematics paper which started at 8:30 am followed by English Language .The last exam to be administered on the first day will be English composition at 2:30 pm. The exam will run between Monday 7 to Wednesday 9 when the candidates will write their Social Studies and Religious Education exam.
This is the first KCPE examination to be administered this year. The second batch of candidates is expected to sit for the 2022 KCPE and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) later in the year.
The academic and exam calendar was altered to accommodate the 2021 candidates following the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic which saw schools close down for a year in 2020.
Over 900 security personnel have been deployed in the different examination centres to man the national examinations. Nyeri County Police Commander Adiel Nyange while taking the police through the regulations has asked the officers to remain vigilant. Nyange asked the officers to coordinate with the centre managers and invigilators to ensure smooth supervision of the examinations.
“We have not had any incidents in the past but I want us to perform better than the last time. In the event the wrong examination is opened I urge you to stand on guard and ensure that the papers are not tampered with until you get instructions from the education officials. In the event of an accident (God forbid) you will be expected to guard the exam and the officers until reinforcement arrive,” said Nyange.
County Commissioner Abdullahi Galgalo urged the officers to uphold their integrity during the course of the examinations. He asked them to ensure that they adhere to the set guidelines on securing examinations to ensure that they are not tampered with.
“Do not be tempted to be compromised by centre managers or any officer by whatever amount of money. Remember that your job and your salary are at stake,” said Galgalo.
By Wangari Mwangi
