Learners back to class for busy examinations term

Learning in primary and secondary schools resumes today after a two-week break.

The third term is usually the shortest but busiest in the academic calendar.

It is particularly busy for the over two million candidates who will sit national exams between October and November.

The term is set to run until October 27, except for national exam candidates, who will be left in school to write their tests.

Learners will proceed on a 10-week holiday from October 28 to January 8. Being the shortest term of the year, there will be no mid-term break for learners.

The term comes at a time when education reforms, which the government has said will fix the challenges the sector has been experiencing, especially under the new curriculum, are expected to take effect.

The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) says there is no cause for worry about national exams due in about two months.

“The environment in which the entire process is undertaken is extremely secure and nobody should be worried about administration of this year’s exams,” the council said.

Clear guidelines

The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates and Grade Six candidates will sit their tests starting October 30 up to November 2 while the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates will follow immediately and run up to November 24.

One of the key recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) is the establishment of clear guidelines on identification, selection and placement of learners in various career pathways and tertiary institutions.

The team, led by Prof Raphael Munavu, called for a review of Competency Based Assessment Framework (CBAF) to restructure Grade Six Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA).

They proposed that KPSEA be used for purposes of monitoring learners’ progress and providing feedback not for placement.

“On assessment, there are no clear guidelines on the identification, selection and placement of learners into the various career pathways and into tertiary institutions. The high stake examinations have led to malpractices and credibility issues,” the taskforce stated.

At Grade 9, it should comprise 20 per cent of KPSEA, 20 per cent of SBAs in Grade 7 and 8 and 60 per cent of summative evaluation at Grade 9 while at Grade 12, it should comprise 70 per cent summative assessment and 30 per cent of SBAs, Assessment of Community Service Learning, values and competencies.

Similarly, the Ministry will be expected to provide for selection and placement of learners into career pathways to senior school based on performance and personal interest.

It has also proposed that computation of KCSE mean score be based on Mathematics, English or Kiswahili and five other best performed subjects.

According to PWPER, implementation of CBAF has faced challenges, especially in utilization of formative assessments for learning and feedback and assessment of values mainstreamed in the curriculum not fully realised.

External assessment

The PWPER also stated that stakeholders raised concerns over integrity of formative assessment, citing compromised scores uploaded into the KNEC portal by the teachers and commercial agents at cyber cafes.

To this end, the stakeholders recommended that external assessment by the KNEC should carry more weight in determining the overall performance of learners.

Last week, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu asked policymakers in Africa to interrogate the weaknesses of the assessments in national education.

Machogu said policy makers must come up with the right solutions to challenges, noting that assessment is a critical pillar for the success of an education system.