- The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) has revealed that the majority of class 8 pupils performed poorly in the tests administered to them in October last year.
The assessment that was done four months ago aimed to gauge possible learning gaps. KNECl has issued a report that shows the majority of class 8 pupils in private and public schools performed poorly in
the assessment test.
According to the report, substantial proportions of learners did not attain
the minimum benchmark of 50 in most subjects assessed pointing to low mastery of the subject, specific skills and content.
The report further revealed gender difference in performance as girls performing better than boys in languages at 51.35 and 46.58 against 49.31 and 42.85.
On achievement by school category, it was established that pupils in private schools registered higher mean scores than their counterparts in public schools in all the assessed subjects, with pupils in private schools attaining mean scores of 65.84 and 71.12 against 47.37 and 55.28
in public schools respectively.
In county-based performance, the learning assessment revealed regional disparities among counties with Nairobi recording the highest mean
score at 59.20 per cent and Turkana, Tana-River and Samburu all in all areas scoring the lowest mean averages at 40.34 per cent, 44.37 per cent, 44 per cent and 44.5 per cent respectively.
The low achievement in schools located in rural areas and counties in arsenal areas was attributed to inadequate ICT devices, flooding, insecurity and poor internet connectivity in some of those areas such as Baringo county/
The report recommends that in order to enhance equity the ministry of education should institute targeted interventions towards the provision of learning resources in public schools.
Stakeholders are hopeful that the grim picture painted by the assessment test results will have been overturned by the time pupils sit for KCPE in March this year.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary-General Mr Wilson Sossion: We Should Not Be Worried About The Data on The Failure of Learners. What Follows This Is Reconfiguring The Teaching By Teachers To Match The Syllabus and Curriculum.
