Leaders praise teachers for exemplary service as KCPE era ends

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu is welcomed at Mitihani House by KNEC officials for the release of the last KCPE exam results. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

Primary school teachers have been praised for their administrative role of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Examinations (KCPE) for the last 39 years.

Key speakers during the release of the last cohort of the 2023 KCPE examination results at Mitihani House, Nairobi, on Thursday applauded the teachers for their unwavering spirit over the years.

"Our indefatigable primary school teachers both in private and public schools who have year after year prepared our candidates for the KCPE examinations," Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu said.

"Among them are field officers from the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission who have combed every part of the country for 38 years checking that learners are taught well and that quality is upheld," the CS said

Kenya National Examinations Council CEO David Njeng'ere commended the teachers for overseeing two examinations, which have been running concurrently for two years.

"We particularly thank the primary school teachers who for the two consecutive years have administered both KEPSEA and KCPE examinations," Dr Njeng'ere said.

He singled out head teachers and education officers from Vihiga and Taita-Taveta counties saying they followed the registration rules for the two cohorts to the latter.

Njeng'ere noted that there were no cases from the two counties of late registration.

Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said the teachers will be honoured for their service of humanity and that of the learners.

"As teachers, God gave you a special responsibility of co-creating human beings as of the age of 8-4-4, you have continuously co-created them for the last 39 years," the PS said.

"In the process you have co-created 26 million Kenyans through this system. This is more than 70 per cent of the adult population," he added.

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) CEO Nancy Macharia applauded teachers for overseeing a smooth process not only during the 2023 examinations but for the last 39 years.

"I also want to thank all the 234,473 teachers who supervised and who played various roles including invigilation and supervision of the examinations," she said

"The commission is proud of you because you have served the country extremely well over the years," she added.

Dr Macharia said that TSC is cognizant of the efforts put in by teachers to ensure that students received quality teaching.

She announced that during this year's World Teachers Day the commission awarded 500 teachers based on their exemplary performance in academic and extra-curricular activities at different levels.

"I wish to assure teachers that the commission will continue to recognize and award teachers in line with the performance recognition, reward and sanctioned policy framework in line with Presidential Reward Directive," she said.