Staff hailed for dedication to seamlessly deliver exams

Education CS Prof George Magoha at Mtihani House, Nairobi, on April 15, 2021. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]

The examination council and the Ministry of Education have hailed stakeholders in the education sector and staff for their commitment to delivering the examinations without hitches despite the difficulties occasioned by the pandemic.

Speaking during the release of 2020 KCPE results at Mtihani House, Nairobi, yesterday, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Jwan and Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) CEO Mercy Karogo said the exams were delivered in an unprecedented and challenging environment.

“It is extremely difficult to conduct exams within a disrupted world order, yet we did so peacefully and we are ready to release the results,” said Dr Jwan, before the results were officially released by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha.

Jwan also acknowledged the efforts of students, teachers and parents during the conduct of exams.

Dr Karogo attributed the success of the national examinations to the selfless dedication of staff in the face of Covid-19.

Measures in place

“Despite the difficulties of the pandemic. We witnessed unprecedented commitment from all parties involved. The exams were done in difficult conditions but we pulled through. Our school calendar was disrupted by many months of government efforts to mitigate against the pandemic,” she said.

The Knec boss described the experience of overseeing the examination as unique owing to the disruption by Covid-19.

“Our contracted professionals – supervisors, invigilators, security personnel and centre managers, exhibited deep sense of commitment,” Karago said.

The Knec contracted 199,639 professionals to deliver the exam.

Dr Jwan said that the government had put all measures in place to ensure the safety of teachers who would be marking the KCSE examinations. He urged the teachers to go for the Covid-19 vaccine.

The PS further called on parents to prepare their children for transition to secondary school.