Guidelines Set to Curb KCSE Cheating As it Kicks Off in Fortnight
Kenya Accountants and Secretaries National Examinations Board CEO, Nicholas Letting, has put forth a series of policy suggestions to the Kenya National Examination Council aimed at tackling the issue of cheating during national examinations. One of Leting’s recommendations is to disable mobile networks in areas prone to cheating, thereby reducing the chances of exam leaks through mobile phones.
Letting also advises that Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) should benchmark with other examination bodies that have excelled in examination management, such as KASNEB and HRMPEB. Moreover, he proposes blacklisting students found impersonating others as a deterrent for future incidents of cheating.
Additionally, Letting urges the involvement of officers from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) who can operate covertly and even pose as candidates to identify instances of examination irregularities and cheating. He also suggests vetting examiners with NIS officers before their employment to ensure a high level of integrity among those responsible for marking exams.
Looking to the future, Letting emphasizes the need to automate examinations by embracing computer-based exams, which would also enable real-time marking. These recommendations were part of a report submitted by MP Julius Melly, Chairman of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education, in parliament.
The committee’s investigation followed concerns about malpractices in the 2022 KCSE, which included collusion, mobile phone use in exam rooms, impersonation, smuggling of unauthorized materials, leakage, and plagiarism. In response, the committee suggests that parliament should review the legal framework to impose stiffer penalties for examination offenses and address new offenses related to Information Communication and Technology and social media platforms.
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The report also proposes that the Teacher Service Commission (TSC) should consider additional parameters like discipline, infrastructural development, co-curricular activities, and personal development for teachers’ promotions starting from the 2024/2025 examination cycle.
Furthermore, the committee calls for increased funding for KNEC in the year 2024/2025 and subsequent years, particularly for competitive and timely examiner remuneration, transport of examination materials and personnel, and the provision of suitable accommodation for examiners at marking centers.
The additional funding should support the digitalization of examination processes and ensure compliance with national examination administering guidelines, while also bolstering personnel to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in examination management.
The report concludes by recommending that KNEC should consider conducting national examinations at different times throughout the year to alleviate the strain on personnel. These proposals come as form four candidates prepare to commence their 2023 KCSE exams at the end of the month.
Guidelines Set to Curb KCSE Cheating As it Kicks Off in Fortnight
