Verify KCPE, KCSE registration details, Knec asks candidates, parents

The Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) has advised parents and candidates to verify examination registration details.

Knec says that the exercise will be done between February 18 and 28.

This comes after the candidates’ registration portal was closed on Friday after listing deadline ended, with some 1.78 million registered to sit this year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).

“We ask parents and candidates to confirm registration details of the 2019 KCPE and KCSE candidates by sending candidates' index numbers to 20076 from February 16,” said Knec acting Chief Executive Officer Mercy Karogo.

“In case of any anomaly, please contact the head teacher or principal immediately before February 22,” she instructed. 

Mrs Karogo maintained that the examination registration deadline will not be extended. The exercise started on January 2 and ended on February 15.

“We shall not extend the registration deadline and so we urge schools, parents and candidates to comply with the timelines,” she stated.

By close of the deadline, Knec data showed that some 1,089,671 candidates had registered to sit for the KCPE in 27,872 centres across the country.

Another 698,935 were registered to sit for the KCSE in 10,304 centres.

Karogo instructed primary and secondary school heads to ensure candidates are allocated index numbers based on the admissions list.

“All candidates for KCPE and KCSE examinations will be issued with index numbers as per the school admission register, not class performance as was the case in previous years,” reads the guidelines signed by Knec acting CEO.

It emerged that the old indexing system saw thousands of students suffer prejudice even in their later life and many others were deemed failures. “We have had cases where candidates who have lower index numbers resign to fate and start to think that they cannot perform better in examinations,” said Karogo.

Knec registration instructions further require that schools with between six and 15 candidates be hosted in established centres.

“The hosted school will retain its code during registration of candidates. Schools with less than five candidates are advised to register their candidates in another approved examination centre,” read the guidelines. Karogo advised that the information on such schools should be submitted to Knec, together with the registration materials.

The examination council also directed that candidates wishing to sit the national examinations be registered in the institutions they study in.

“Registration in two centres (double registration) will be treated as an examination malpractice,” read the guidelines. For private candidates, Knec directs  that they be registered at the sub-county offices.

“For registration of KCSE candidates, Knec will only allow one private examination centre per sub-county.”

Private candidates will be expected to pay their examination fees directly to Knec and deposit slips submitted to sub-county directors.

The government however foots examination fees for the other categories of candidates.

New schools wishing to be listed by Knec as examination centres must submit valid registration certificates from the County Director of Education, inspection report from the sub-county office and a dully-filled application form.