NAIROBI: Starehe Boys Centre has fallen from the league of the traditional academic giants, with Moi High School Kabarak retaining pole position nationally in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination results released yesterday.
A preliminary compilation placed both Starehe and Precious Blood Riruta outside the top 10 schools in the country.
But within Nairobi County, Konoo Kandie of Starehe, Abdalla Omar of little-known Wamy High School and Filipos Kiflai of Sunshine High School were among the top students, each scoring a mean score of 84 points.
Maseno School in Nyanza dislodged Alliance High from the second slot in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exam results. With a mean score of 11.6, Kabarak scooped top honours, followed by Maseno (11.39) and Alliance High School.
According to unofficial ranking drawn by The Standard based on schools’ mean scores received, other top schools were Utumishi Academy, Kapsabet Boys (11.15), St Joseph Kitale (11.02), Light Academy, Chemelil Sugar Academy, Sacho High School (10.97) and Rang’ala Girls (10.9) in that order.
Starehe Boys Centre, which has been a dominant force, was curiously missing among the top achievers reportedly because there were some cheating cases in the institution founded by the late Geoffrey Griffin.
Alliance Girls High School and Maranda were also notably missing from the leading pack.
Among the top performers who scored a mean score of A (84 points) were Abdalla Omar (Wamy High School), Konoo Kandie (Starehe Boys), Emanuel Obike (Kabarak), Mjomba Delvan (Alliance High School), Lily Nyamai (Mary Hill), Ahlam Abdulaziz (Sheikh Khalifa), Elvis Sakwa (Friends School Kamusinga), Peter Mburu (Kabarak) and Nyabuto Onkundi (Maseno).
While releasing the examination results yesterday, Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i promised a radical change in the manner examinations are administered to curb exam cheating, which rose by 70 per cent in the 2015 exams.
A record 5,101 candidates were involved in examination irregularities compared to 2,975 cases reported in 2014. Some 522,870 candidates sat the 2015 KCSE examinations.
The CS announced the ministry had received a comprehensive report, complete with names of persons who may be arrested for encouraging the vice that has dented the credibility of national examinations.
“President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed my ministry and that of Interior and Co-ordination to hold a meeting with all education stakeholders and to table the report on cheating,” said Dr Matiang’i.
He explained the ministry and other Government agencies had spent about two months conducting investigations on cheating.
“I want to assure parents and candidates that we shall do our best. I apologise for the irregularities and I promise to give my best to ensure this does not happen again,” pledged Matiang’i in his first speech at this annual event that parents, candidates and teachers await with apprehension.
Matiang’i announced that the overall performance in last year’s examinations was ‘nearly at par’ with that of 2014.
He added gender parity had greatly been achieved and that the transition rate was the best in Sub-Saharan Africa. Some 53 per cent male candidates sat last year’s examination against 46.6 per cent females.
The CS said the number of candidates who scored Grade A in last year’s examinations was 2,636 compared to 3,073 candidates who posted a similar grade in 2014. Of these, 1,976 were male candidates against 660 girls.
Overall, some 165,766 candidates scored the minimum university admission Grade of C+ and above, reflecting an increase of 16,049 candidates compared to 2014. Of these, 95,533 were boys and 70,233 girls.
Matiang’i termed as ‘worrying’, the failure by at least half the total number of candidates who sat the examinations to attain a grade of C+, despite the heavy funding by the State. Some 5,000 candidates were reported to have scored Grade E, which is the lowest in the Form Four exam.
Matiang’i announced he had constituted a team made up of officials from the Ministry of Education, Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, Teachers Service Commission and Knec to look into the performance of candidates in the last three years.
The team will be led by the State Department of Education Director General Leah Rotich.
Knec Chief Executive Officer Joseph Kivilu cited the teachers’ strike, insecurity in some parts of the country and calls to postpone the examination as some of the challenges experienced by the council.
Performance in 13 subjects improved, as seven others stagnated. English, Kiswahili, Mathematics Alternative A, biology, physics, chemistry, Biology for the Blind, Home Science, Agriculture, Woodwork, Aviation Technology, French and Music posted improved performance.
General Science, Geography, Art and Design, Metalwork, Building Construction, Power Mechanics and German Language showed no improvement while performance in Mathematics Alternative B, History and Government, CRE, IRE, Electricity, Drawing & Design, Computer Studies, Arabic, Kenyan Sign Language and Business Studies declined.
