KNEC Gives Final Submission On Alleged Exam Leakage
The national examiner has stated that the 2022 Form 4 exams were not compromised.
The Kenya National Examination Council disclaimed responsibility for alleged examination material leaks, claiming that parents had been tricked into paying millions of shillings for phony papers.
On Thursday, Knec CEO David Njeng’ere informed the National Assembly Education Committee in Mombasa, which was chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, that reports of test papers being sold are typically made by scammers.
“We will disseminate the social media pages that advertise having those ‘authentic’ test papers. People give cash to dishonest agents. They have been led to believe that the people passing the papers around are Knec employees. They are not, according to Njeng’ere.
The 2022 KCSE cheating claims are being looked into by the committee.
Education Committee Meeting
At the PrideInn Paradise Hotel in Mombasa on Thursday, the committee questioned Knec CEO Njeng’ere, PS Belio Kipsang, and Education CS Ezekiel Machogu.
Njeng’ere claimed that after they are set, national test papers are typically only accessible by a select group of people.
The CEO challenged the committee, stating that it was impossible for anybody to access those exam papers in advance.
“Log onto those social networking platforms, collect those documents, and keep them. Njeng’ere advised waiting until November to compare them to the actual papers.
The CEO stated that the council typically sends advance instructions to schools in response to allegations that certain examination center managers, who are also the heads of the schools, knew in advance what practicals would be performed.
The instructions, however, merely tell the center managers to create a specific set of solutions and other reagents or devices in packages with a clear confidential label.
“These advance instructions don’t come with questions that candidates will be given,” the CEO claimed, adding that some principals share the instructions with individuals, fooling the general public.
Nevertheless, he claimed that the only alternative option is to provide schools prior instructions to ask them to get ready for the practicals.
He defended the council against accusations that the test had been turned into a weapon by lawmakers and some parents who objected to the deployment of strict security surrounding the testing grounds.
Multi-agency approach to examination
According to Njeng’ere, the 2016 changes adopted the multi-agency approach to examination in order to restore the legitimacy of national examinations.
According to CS Machogu and PS Kipsang, the ministry has suggested amending the Knec Act of 2012 to include the 2016 reforms because the majority of the changes made by the reforms have not yet been codified into law.
Exam papers, for instance, must be preserved in police armories, per the Act. The exam papers are now kept in containers thanks to the 2016 amendments, nevertheless.
Timothy Kipchumba, a member of parliament for Marakwet West, claimed that because Knec is not properly supervised, it has turned into a law unto itself.
To control Knec, he proposed creating a Kenya National Examination Regulatory Authority.
Njeng’ere countered that the council has not broken any laws and cannot be claimed to be a law unto itself.
“We have never gone beyond the legal authority given to us,” he said.
He claimed that the council was under financial pressure and urged the MPs to advocate for a larger budgetary allotment.
KNEC Gives Final Submission On Alleged Exam Leakage
He claimed that Knec was not responsible for the problems with the striking examiners that were seen in the 2022 KCSE exam.
“Prior to 2016, Knec used to charge students examination fees, which were then utilized to administer the tests. However, this was dropped, and the fees were now managed by the government, according to the CEO.
Instead, when there were roughly 500,000 candidates in 2016, the government began providing the council with a single Sh4 billion subsidy.
But up to this point, the award has essentially remained the same while the number of applicants has nearly doubled.
“We are the only institution that isn’t per capita supported. We receive a fixed grant. The needs of the examiners, tests, and other connected difficulties cannot be met by this grant, according to Njeng’ere.
According to Melly, a portion of the issues with the national tests are due to inadequate finance.
The MP stated that in order to effectively run national tests, they will seek increased money for the council.
To be able to pay examiners on time, to have excellent facilities, and to ensure that the marking centers are upgraded, Melly explained.
KNEC Gives Final Submission On Alleged Exam Leakage
