Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has agreed to the request to offer the 2024 candidates who are part of the national team, Junior Starlets, the opportunity to sit for their exams after the Under-17 World Cup in the Dominican Republic in October.
This decision follows public outcry for the eight players to be given special consideration by the examination body, as they will be representing the nation in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, where Kenya will make its debut appearance.
Junior Starlets players who are currently in Form Four include Marion Serenge (Archbishop Njenga), Rebecca Odato (Dagoretti Mixed), Lorine Ilavonga (Nyakach Secondary), Velma Awuor (Nyakach Secondary), Claire Paul Meris (Kobala Secondary), Velma Auma (Wiyeta Girls High School), Christine Adhiambo (Nyakach Secondary) and Quinter Adhiambo (St. Alfreda Alara Mixed).
KNEC CEO David Njengere yesterday delivered the good news, stating that the council had reviewed the matter and decided that the affected players will be given a fair chance to sit for their exams immediately after the World Cup.
“As a national examinations and assessments agency, we do not exist to kill dreams, but rather to nurture them. We recognize that while we strive to uphold the integrity of our examinations and assessments, there are exceptional cases we must address for inclusivity. Due to the nature of the KCSE examination, the Council is committed to ensuring fairness by subjecting all candidates to nearly uniform conditions when taking the exams, in adherence to globally acceptable standards. Therefore, I want to assure our great U-17 team that none of them will be disadvantaged in the administration of this year’s KCSE examination.”
Kenya will play their Group C matches between October 18 and 24, with the quarterfinal matches scheduled between October 26 and 28, 2024. The final game of the tournament is set for November 3.
The 2024 KCSE examination main papers are scheduled to begin on November 4 and end on November 22, 2024.
Only French and Home Science, which have oral and practical components, will start earlier on October 22, affecting two of the eight players on the national Junior Starlets team.
“As per KNEC’s policy for handling hardship cases affecting candidates sitting for national exams, the council will liaise with the center managers of the six affected secondary schools and make appropriate arrangements during the exam period for KCSE papers that clash with World Cup fixtures for the Kenyan team,” Njengere added.
The decision to offer the player-candidates special exams is a result of inter-ministerial collaboration between the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Education.
Junior Starlets head coach Mildred Cheche welcomed the decision.
She remarked: “It’s a good move because our girls in Form Four have been granted the chance to do their exams after the World Cup, and now they don’t need to worry about missing the exams this year. This is a great gesture from the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Education.”
However, the move by KNEC may have come too late, as some players had already opted to defer their exams to next year and focus on the World Cup instead of the national examinations.
Furthermore, a substantial amount of class time may have already been lost during the team’s camp.
The Junior Starlets made history by becoming the first Kenyan football team to qualify for the World Cup, defeating Burundi to secure the ticket.
They have been placed in Group C of the tournament alongside Mexico, Korea DPR, and England.
The team is set to enter a special training camp in Marbella, Spain, starting September 19, before embarking on a long journey to the Dominican Republic later this month.
