MPs Accuse KNEC For Selling Examinations
MPs Accuse KNEC For Selling Examinations. The national examinations organization has come under fire for persistent exam leaks.
The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) was accused of deliberately encouraging exam leaks, notably in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination, by the National Assembly committee on education yesterday.
According to the committee’s early findings, KNEC officials conspired with parents and school administrators to sell exam papers.
As the committee presents its conclusions to Parliament in the next two months, Julius Melly, the head of the committee, issued a strong warning to the offenders.
There was cheating in the 2022 KCSE, and the dishonesty in most of the tests emanated from KNEC, the council itself is actually the main source of cheating, according to confessions and chats by members of the public. According to rumors, the council is the one who sells its examinations, Melly remarked.
The committee also linked instances of cheating to the pressure that head teachers were under from their employer, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), to perform well in order to advance in their positions.
He pointed out that this forces the teachers to go above and beyond, even purchasing exam papers, to accomplish their goals.
“We want to look into just how far the cheating went. The choice will be difficult, but we’ll make sure the cheating ends. In order to identify exam cheating gaps and close them, we are gathering opinions from the general public. Moreover, Melly added, “We are here to determine whether any schools received more or less credit in the recently completed KCSE exam.
“We’ll call KNEC representatives to the committee so they can explain why they leaked documents. This issue will be resolved once and for all, Melly continued.
According to Melly, the committee would suggest taking severe action against individuals who are found to be at fault.
According to Melly, the committee will conduct a further study of KNEC laws to close any gaps that could allow for exam cheating.
The committee heard during its public meetings yesterday that some schools spend as much as Sh1 million to buy exam leaks in order to maintain their status as the nation’s top academic institutions.
Teachers who requested anonymity out of concern for government retaliation claimed that several public and private schools were renowned for purchasing exam papers from dishonest KNEC officials.
Lynatte Khamadi, executive secretary of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Mombasa branch, alleged that some principals conspired with students who vanished from the school after registering for the Form Four examination only to reappear during exam rehearsals to smuggle in exam leakages.
“We have seen that some students intentionally commit offenses in order to be suspended, after which they make a special effort to purchase exam materials. They are the people who sneak information to their classmates. Since we cannot deregister (candidates) under the legislation, as school administrators, we would like assistance, Khamadi stated.
The MPs were informed that through well-organized networks and plans, grading schemes were also devised and disseminated to students before they took exams.
It also came to light that several of the top administrators of both public and private schools and the professors who set the exams conspired to leak the questions that would be on the final national exams.
To encourage them and protect them from being swayed, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Kilindini chapter, led by secretary Dan Aloo, demanded fair compensation for teachers who mark the exams.