Education ministry should stick to its guns on mock exams' ban

Students during a past national examination at Mombasa's M.M.Shah and M.V.Shah Academy. [Maarufu Mohamed, Standard]

The Ministry of Education has enforced a ban on mocks and joint exams. Two expert teams which inquired into the possible reasons for schools' unrest recommended a ban on all inter-school exams. The recommendation of the teams came against a backdrop of school riots across the country.

Consequently, the Ministry of Education issued a circular outlawing jointly ran exams among schools. In a letter dated July 6, current Education PS Belio Kipsang called the attention of stakeholders in education to the earlier circular which he insisted was still in force. The PS argued that holding mock and other joint exams was going to interfere with the school calendar.