Get on with exam marking, heads urge Wasanga

By AUGUSTINE ODUOR

Kenya: Secondary school head teachers now want the examination agency and a teachers union to end the ongoing bickering over examinations marking that starts next week.

Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (Kessha) Chairman John Awiti said parents and candidates stood to lose if the standoff over the examinations marking is pushed to next week.

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) have threatened to rally their members to boycott marking of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination papers that starts next week Tuesday.

However, Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) Chief Executive Paul Wasanga yesterday downplayed the union calls said there is no cause for alarm as over 18,000 teachers have confirmed to participate in the exercise.

He said marking of the KCSE and the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations are a contractual issue and noted that teachers union do not have a say.

“This is an individual teacher’s decision. They choose to sign up or not. So where does the union come in? But so far teachers have chosen to sign up and marking will go on as planned,” said Mr Wasanga.

Mr Awiti, however, said the two parties must come to a round table and find a solution. “We do not want to gamble with the marking exercise. We have heard some people make demands as the other party maintain all is well. Can they talk over these issues before next week,” he said.

He said parents already sponsored their children for the four years they spent in school and teachers committed their time to teach. “…. and the candidates played their part by studying hard and to also write the examinations. It would be unreasonable for these children not to get their results just because Knec and Kuppet did not agree,” he said.

Just last week, Education Cabinet Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi and his PS Dr Bellio Kipsang cautioned Kuppet against any attempts to disrupt the marking exercise.

Teachers decision

The two officials noted that the marking exercise is an individual teachers decision and asked Kuppet to keep off.

Other sources familiar with Kuppet demands associated the union’s quest to senior politicians who have vested interests in Knec succession plans. Wasanga’s contract ends next year march having been at the helm of the Council for close to nine years.

Kuppet Secretary General Akello Misori and the union National Chairman Omboko Milemba maintained that the teachers will not turn up for the exercise unless their living conditions are improved.

They also want the monies paid to teachers after the exercise be tax free among a myriad of other demands. Contract documents signed by the teachers and seen by The Standard On Saturday indicate that the teachers consented to the terms and conditions of the contract.

“I have read and understood all the conditions given under instructions and contractual obligations between examiners and Knec and I accept the conditions set out in the contract. I will take part in the year 2013 marking exercise,” reads the contract form dubbed “Marking Acceptance for 2013 Knec Examiners.”

The form spells out personal information, accommodation details and a declaration to having read and accepted terms and conditions of the contract.

“I am aware of the serious consequences which may follow any breach of the provisions stipulated in the Knec Act no 29 of 2012, the fact that I should not divulge any information gained by me by virtue of my appointment as Council Examiner,” reads the contract letter in part.

It adds: “I understand also that I am liable to be prosecuted and or disciplined by my employer if I reveal any information related to the works of the candidates or publicise any other information related to the marking of examination to the press or any other unauthorised parties...”

Wasanga yesterday asked parents and teachers not to panic. Wasanga said over 13,000 teachers had confirmed to mark scripts of the over 437,782 candidates who sat this year’s KCSE examinations starting next week.

He said same time last year, only 10,000 had confirmed “to us this means that teachers have ignored the union calls to participate in the exercise that helps the children they taught,” he said.

On KCPE, Wasanga said over 8000 teachers had turned up to mark scripts of the over 800,000 pupils. “The exercise is going and by end of the week they should be through. We estimate that by December 2 we should have completed the exercise,” said Wasanga.