New details of how KCSE, KCPE will be conducted

Standard Eight pupils from Bamburi Primary School receive exam materials from Kisauni parliamentary aspirant Ali Mbogo. Police will no longer be directly in charge of national examination papers, as a strict procedure is implemented to secure distribution to schools. (PHOTO: GIDEON MAUNDU/ STANDARD)

Police will no longer be directly in charge of national examination papers, as a strict procedure is implemented to secure distribution to schools.

A total of 346 strong double-lock metal containers - whose keys are only with education officials - have been distributed across all the sub-county offices and county commissioners tasked to ensure 24-hour security.

Headteachers will collect exam papers at 5am every day from these containers, which must be opened jointly by the sub-county education officials and an examinations official in the presence of a police officer.

The head teacher and sub-county education officer will sign against accountability documents confirming both the container and exam papers have not been tampered with, and then be escorted by a senior police officer to the exam centres.

In the past, exam papers have been kept in the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) offices in Nairobi and then dispatched to police armouries across the country, sometimes up to four days earlier, an arrangement that facilitated leaks.

But now, papers will arrive from overseas one week to the start of exams for temporary storage in protected regional distribution centres in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret and Wajir.

From here, they will be dispatched to the sub-county containers from where there will be daily deliveries, with Knec even hiring helicopters for deliveries in far-flung areas.

These are among the security measures to protect the distribution of Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam papers.

Protect distribution

Authorities have moved to protect the distribution system after introducing enhanced security features to protect the individual papers that include tamper-proof packaging and watermark barcodes on the papers to deter copying.

Each page of the question papers to be used by candidates will have specific watermark barcodes that will help in investigations and identification of any copying.

Shrink-wrapping has also been introduced on all examination cartons to discourage breakage.

Knec also reviewed how set questions were transmitted to the printer abroad to ensure that unnecessary contact with the questions was limited.

The focus now, for what authorities bill as the most closely guarded examination to curb cheating, is on ensuring distribution is foolproof.

Some 1.5 million candidates are set to write the examinations this year. Of these, 952,445 will sit KCPE from November 1 to 3. Some 577,079 will do KCSE from November 7-30.

Details of how this year's national examinations will be administered show that Knec has vested the storage, distribution and verification of all examination papers on sub-county education officials.

The council will also assign some of its staff to work together with the sub-county officers across all the distribution centres where safe containers have been placed.

During last year's examinations, some police officers and teachers were accused of leaking examination questions.

But this year, there must be witnesses as the examination storage containers are opened.

"Sub-county directors of education will jointly open and lock the storage facility with the appointed Knec officer daily while ensuring adherence to the double-locking and access system," read the Knec guidelines.

The officers will ensure that the boxes containing exam papers are opened only in the presence of head teachers and security officers escorting them to examination centres.

The details emerged during the official launch of the 2016 national examinations last week.

Even though the sub-county education officers will ensure 24-hour armed security of question papers, Knec says county commissioners will be in charge overall.

"He or she is answerable to the national government and, in particular, to the Interior Cabinet Secretary and by delegation to Knec. He/she is expected to ensure that the deputy county commissioner and the assistant county commissioner perform their roles successfully," read the guidelines.

Distinct role

Further details show that primary and secondary school heads will have the distinct role of picking and returning exam papers from the strong rooms.

"Head teachers will report to their respective storage facilities or collection points in the sub-county to collect the question papers for their schools and return the candidates' answer sheets to the storage facilities daily," the Knec guidelines read.

But before picking the papers from the strong rooms, all school heads will be required to produce their appointment letters and identification badges for vetting and confirmation of legitimacy by the sub-county officers.

The role of supervisors and invigilators will be limited to the administration of examinations, after which they will hand over the scripts to school heads.

"Supervisors will hand over sealed envelopes containing candidates' scripts to the head teacher/principal at the end of the examination day."

Invigilators will be expected to search candidates each time they enter examination rooms. They will also ensure that no unauthorised persons – including teachers – have access to exam rooms or communicate with candidates while exams are in progress.

And inside the examination centres, nobody – including candidates, supervisors, invigilators, head teachers and any other person involved in administration of examinations – will be allowed to enter an examination room with mobile phones or other electronic devices.

Mobile phones

 Security officers may carry their mobile phones but will not enter the examination rooms with them.

Supervisors and head teachers have been advised to keep their mobile phones and electronic devices in the office for use in emergencies that must be communicated to Knec.

On packaging of examination materials, Knec says there will be no extra papers provided.

"The packaging of question papers was done strictly according to the candidature and there will be no spare question papers," said Knec.

This means that extra question papers previously printed and packaged for each sub-county, as 'district papers' will not be provided.

And in case of extra question papers due to absentee candidates or protest papers (where candidates register for wrong papers), Knec instructs that they are sealed in the question paper envelope and place in front of the candidates.

"At the end of the examination, the extra papers should be returned to the sub-county examination storage facility for onward transmission to the council."

Knec has also prescribed the sitting arrangement to be 1.22 metres between candidates on all sides. Each supervisor will be required to man a minimum of 15 candidates and a maximum of 40.

"In the case of large examination centres with over 200 candidates, a second supervisor may be nominated to be in charge of own rooms and a group of invigilators," read the guidelines.

Candidates have also been advised that only mathematical tables vetted by Knec will be used during the examinations.

"Mathematical tables other than those printed by Knec will not be allowed during the examinations," said Mercy Karogo, the acting Knec chief executive officer.

This year, persons selected to supervise examinations will be teachers registered and employed by Teachers Service Commission (TSC) or public service employees in Job Group K and above.

Knec announced the pay structure of each contracted professional. Supervisors will be paid up to Sh695 per day for 18 days. Invigilators will earn Sh580 per day for 17 days.