KNEC Deputy CEO Bobby Anthony Mwai at the exam council’s offices in Nairobi on March 24, 2016, moments after his arrest over last year’s examination irregularities. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Summary
- Kenya National Examinations Council kept denying reports that test papers were available before they were administered.
- 5,100 candidates had their KCSE 2015 exam results cancelled.
- Interior CS Joseph Nkaissery ordered the arrest of top examination officials.
Earlier, when KCPE results were released in December, 2,709 candidates had their results cancelled, again for cheating.
Yet
the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) kept denying reports
that test papers were available before they were administered. Instead,
it blamed everyone else, including the police, teachers and parents —
never its own officers. It was just a matter of time before something
gave.
When Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i
dissolved the Knec Board on Wednesday and his Interior counterpart, Mr
Joseph Nkaissery, ordered the arrest of top examination officials, the
die appeared to have been cast and the public now expects those found
culpable to be prosecuted.
MUSYOKA TASKFORCE
When
results of some 2,880 Form Four candidates were cancelled for cheating
in 2000, President Daniel arap Moi directed Education Minister Kalonzo
Musyoka to conduct thorough investigations to determine the cause of
what was then regarded as massive cheating.
Consequently,
Mr Musyoka appointed a task force that, among others, determined that
the major cause was collusion. Then, cell phones were a rarity and
social media had not become as widespread as it is today.
The
main causes of cheating back then were collusion between
principals/teachers and invigilators. The other was impersonation of
candidates.
Wednesday, Dr Matiang’i
said cheating occurs both within and outside the exam council. But he
was categorical that the systems at the exams council were inherently
deficient.
“It is abundantly clear
from information so far received and a review of the operations of Knec
that the institution has very fundamental systemic challenges that must
be decisively and conclusively addressed in order to ensure the national
examination processes remain credible and continue to meet the expected
high standards of integrity,” he said.
The
setting, printing, distributing, administering and processing of
national exams has become fatally flawed over time. Some exam setters
have been notorious for leaking the exams.
The
questions are put in a bank but the subject setters collude and share
out the questions that they set and collectively they are able to
predict what is likely to be examined.
CHICKEN SCANDAL
Historically,
exam papers are printed in the UK and this, in itself, has been the
subject of a corruption scandal now known as the “Chicken” scandal,
where top officials, among them, former chief executive Paul Wasanga
were accused of receiving bribes from the printer.
The others were Mr Ephraim Wanderi and Mr Michael Ndua, the principal supply chain management officer.
Mr
Ndua is one of the officers arrested yesterday. Despite having been
mentioned in the “Chicken” scandal, he has never been interrogated and
continued to serve at the council.
But
the point here is that the process of procuring is influenced by bribes
and that raises questions about the integrity of the exams.
The
worst stages are distribution and administration of the question
papers. Exam papers are distributed and stored in armouries at police
stations to guarantee security.
However, it is from
here that many papers are leaked. Usually, pictures are taken and
circulated through social media hours before the candidates sit the
exams.
In some schools, the cheating is organised.
Once teachers receive the leaked questions, they organise revision
sessions for the candidates where they go through the questions, hours
before the exams are administered.
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