Record-Breaking 3.5 Million Candidates Will Take the National Exams
Record-Breaking 3.5 Million Candidates Will Take the National Exams. More than 3.5 million candidates will sit for national exams this year, including the Kenya Primary School Assessment (KPSEA), Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
This represents a historic high in the number of registered applicants.
Education Principal Secretary Dr Belio Kipsang revealed that KCSE will have less than a million candidates while KCPE will have about 1.4 million candidates.
Also, 1.2 million candidates are expected to sit for KPSEA. Dr Kipsang said analysis of KCPE data showed significant enrollment, including some adults who registered as private candidates.
Revision of the evaluation system
The Ministry of Education is currently revising the assessment system to emphasize students’ skills, abilities and knowledge.
This change is in accordance with the recommendation of the Presidential Task Force on Education Reform (PWPER).
Future candidates will be the first to benefit from this new assessment system, which aims to differentiate placement from tests to assess what students have learned.
The new grading system will allow students to continue with their elective courses and will affect at least five groups in the previous 8-4-4 system.
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Dr Kipsang said this year’s KCPE administration is the last phase of the transition to quality education at the primary level.
While the five groups are still going through KCSE, the focus is on the students as they learn, based on their knowledge, skills, abilities, values and attitudes.
Dr Kipsang highlighted the global importance of literacy and numeracy in education. Literacy and numeracy equip people with essential skills relevant to many aspects of life.
In the new assessment system, the Ministry of Education and Culture will prioritize numeracy (mathematics) and literacy (Kiswahili or English) for certification. The curriculum will assess students in seven subjects.
Mastering various subjects
PS emphasized the importance of students mastering different subjects such as two sciences, one humanities, numeracy, literacy and other related subjects.
Historical losses, he said, resulted in low university transition rates compared to neighboring countries.
Regarding the El Niño rains, the PS said that the government has taken measures to avoid disruption during the upcoming exams.
Potential flooding has been identified and mapped, and the government is mobilizing resources, including military helicopters, to ensure the tests go smoothly.
Record-Breaking 3.5 Million Candidates Will Take the National Exams