Moment of truth for 2.1m learners as KCPE, KCSE exams begin

Candidates at Kisumu Girls High School, Kisumu County during the past examination. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

Schools are set to close for close to two months starting this week paving way for national examinations for some 2.1 million candidates registered for the 2021 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).

Preparations for the rollout of Grade Six also kicks off as the present Grade Five learners will transition to the new class when schools open in April.

The government will also be facing the headache of making sure the additional classrooms to anchor Junior Secondary Schools will be ready as transitions beckon early next year.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha is also expected to address emerging concerns on where the Junior Secondary Schools will be domiciled as some stakeholders argue they are retained in primary institutions.

The immediate challenge for the ministry, however, is the administration of two sets of national examinations for both the 8-4-4 and 2-6-3-3-3 education system.

The 8-4-4 education system learners sit two national examinations this year as CBC learners will also write their first national test in December ahead of the transition to Junior secondary school.

The first 8-4-4 tests will be done in March with the second cohort sitting the examinations in December.

Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) Chief Executive David Njengere said some 1,225,507 candidates will sit KCPE exams in 28,316 centres while some 831,015 candidates will be sitting KCSE exams in 10,413 centres.

As the exams approach, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha and Njengere face the challenge of merging centers that have less than 30 pupils.

At least 170 schools will be affected by the merger.

For the December examinations, KCPE tests will be done between November 28-December 1 while KCSE examinations will be administered between December 1 to December 23.

Still, in December, KNEC is expected to release the examination timetable for the pioneer Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) candidates who will sit the end of primary education tests under the new 2-6-3-3-3 system.

Unlike the 8-4-4 learners who will be striving to score 100 per cent in the national tests, the Grade Six learners will only seek to attain 40 per cent in the December national tests.

The rest of the marks–60 per cent– for the CBC learners will have been scored by teachers during school-based assessments administered at Grade 4, 5, and 6.

According to the revised school calendar, all learners, except the candidates will close schools next week Friday, March 4, 2022.

This will be the end of the 2021 education year, whose examinations are scheduled to start on March 7.

The learners will stay home until April 25 when schools will open for the first term under the 2022 education calendar.

The 2023 academic year is scheduled to start on April 25 and the first term will run to July 1.

This is the time the pioneer CBC learners will move to the final primary education study year after which they will transition to Junior Secondary Schools.

The second term will resume on July 11 and will run until September 16 as the third term runs between September 26 to November 25.

Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) Chief Executive Prof Charles Ong’ondo said Grade Six textbooks have been delivered to schools ahead of the rollout in April.

“We are doing all that is necessary to ensure the books will be in schools when learners move to the new class. Right now we are at 85 per cent distribution. By end of next week, we shall have done 100 per cent,” said Ong’ondo.

He said curriculum designs for Grade Six have also been sent to schools in readiness for the learners.

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chief Executive Nancy Macharia said the commission had prepared all teachers for the gradual implementation of CBC.

“Ahead of the rollout of Grade Six in May 2022, and Junior Secondary in 2023, the Commission has made necessary arrangements to train teachers to ensure smooth implementation,” said Macharia.

She said so far, 229,292 teachers have been trained on CBC ahead of Grade Six rollout.

“Further training will be conducted in April 2022 as part of the deliberate plan to train all teachers,” said Macharia.