Only four candidates out of the over 1 million who sat the 2018 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination will miss their results due to irregularities.
While releasing the KCPE results on Monday, Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said the four candidates had been found guilty of impersonation, hence, their results cancelled.
The CS, however, noted that the four candidates would be allowed to resit the exam next year.
The Education CS further said that the deliberate and concrete new measures put in place by the ministry to curb cheating had been a success and ensured a level playing field for the candidates.
“None of the nine papers administered in KCPE was leaked. The few cases of attempted cheating through early exposure at the examination centre were nipped in the bud and we dealt with them conclusively and decisively,” said Amina.
She added: “We stepped up measures against cheating, and started with a pre-examination monitoring exercise, as a result most of the would be cases of cheating were prevented.”
Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia said the commission will take disciplinary measures against 26 teachers who were involved in exam irregularities.
“We shall be instituting disciplinary action on 26 teachers found to have abetted exam irregularities,” she said.
On the issue of teenage pregnancies, Prof. Magoha urged parents to be responsible for their children, noting that the high birth rate among school children was due to negligence.
“Our parents have failed, maybe me included, why do u produce children and you have no time for them,” said Magoha.
“It is our duty to ensure that we spend some quality time with our children, make sure your children don’t get pregnant.”
Speaking at the same event, Kenya National Examinations Council Chairman George Magoha said the council had made a major milestone in reducing exam irregularities.
“We have reached a stage where we have agreed that cheating is in the past,” he said.
Prof. Magoha said acquisition of containers had improved exam credibility.