State quality assurance officers in a spot over fake KPSEA exam

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba during the start of KPSEA Mathematics paper at Westlands Sub-County Headquarters in Nairobi on October 28. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

The discovery of an unregistered school with children in Grade 6 has sparked debate among teachers, parents and education officials, raising concern over the oversight gap.

Officials responsible for inspecting and shutting down schools unauthorised institutions seem to have missed the mark in this instance.

Twenty-three pupils from Silver Bells Academy in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, were in shock after learning they had unknowingly taken fake Kenya Primary School Education Assessment examinations.

Deputy County Commissioner Duncan Okwach on Wednesday revealed the private institution, with 279 learners, was operating without registration from the Kenya National Examinations Council, and its 23 candidates were not formally registered for the assessment.

Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers Education Teachers (Kuppet) Secretary General Akelo Misori attributed such cases to weaknesses in Kenya’s Directorate of Quality Assurance and Standards, which is responsible for improving the quality and relevance of basic education.

“Without strong Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (QASO) teams in every region, these kind of illegalities will persist. We’re seeing poor monitoring of schools, and with the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC),  these gaps could affect students,” said Misori.

Sarah Kamau, an official in the Ministry of Education, said the ministry has a structured system in place to ensure that school quality and compliance, with Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (QASOs) appointed in every sub-county.

 “The QASO teams are meant to ensure that every school is registered and compliant. Yet, somehow, some schools still manage to operate under the radar, and that’s a serious problem,” she added.

Despite parents’ trust in the system, Dr. Grace Wanjiku, an education consultant, emphasized the importance of parental responsibility.

“At the end of the day, parents need to be vigilant. Ask about exam records, visit the schools, and confirm their registration status. As difficult as this may seem, it can be the first line of protection for our children,” she said.

Jacklyne Mueni, a teacher in Machakos, argued that if the Ministry’s system was more transparent and accessible, parents would not need to be detectives to identify genuine schools.

“We have to start asking questions now because the stakes are just too high. We can’t bury our heads in the sand as all this unfolds,” she said.

The incident has raised an uproar raises, with parents like John Kamau questioning how an unregistered school could operate and even grow for six years. “How did it participate in local competitions and exams without detection? Our QASO team is supposed to be on top of this. But resources are limited, and sometimes communities don’t report these schools,” Kamau remarked.