Key exams body has failed Kenyans

The number of students scoring A grade in our national examinations continues to rise and the trend is worrying. One wonders whether Kenyan students have all of a sudden become so intelligent.

The high score of As either means that the exams are easy, the marking is suspect or our students are geniuses. It’s not rocket science to find out which is which.

School heads and teachers have admitted that the growing number of students who attain the top score had diluted the grade A.

Cases of cheating have been on the rise, and teachers can predict the questions being set by The Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec).

Getting grade A in Kenya has become so easy, unlike in the past. One wonders then how a school of over 100 students gets a mean grade of A in the national examinations.

The Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) said the number of candidates sitting examinations had gone up, explaining the rising number of As.

One therefore wonders; is Knec setting too simple questions or it’s the marking process that is shoddy? Are our today’s children all geniuses?

Hundreds of students are getting a mean grade of A while more are getting the lower grades. Unfair distribution of grades has left many Kenyans questioning the level of quality assurance at Knec.

Professional moderation, which is a quality assurance process that ensures appropriate standards, is highly lacking at Knec. The process of ensuring that marks or grades are awarded appropriately and consistently is vague.

There is need for a major paradigm shift where national examinations would be the epitome of innovation. Curriculum for schools should be made more challenging to help produce innovators.

Methinks Knec’s testing system has failed Kenyans. There is a serious need to re-evaluate exam moderation and quality assurance at Knec.