Pupils in primary schools both candidates for Kenya Certificate for Primary Education (KCPE) and and Grade Six pupils will today morning sit for their national exams.
A total of 1,287,597 Grade Six candidates will be assessed in their inaugural Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) while 1,244,188 KCPE candidates will write down their final exams beginning today morning.
There are also 884,263 Kenya Certificate for Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates sitting for their exams bringing the total number of candidates for the three national exams to 3.4milion.
This is the largest number of students and pupils sitting for the national exams ever.
This will also mark the first time Grade Six candidates will be sitting a national exam after the introduction of the Competency-Based Curriculum in 2017.
A spot check by The Informer revealed that most of the exam containers were opened at 6am as guided by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
Opening of containers and distribution of examination materials are currently ongoing in various parts of the country.
However, there were slight delays in some areas amid dawn downpour in Nairobi.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has supervised the opening of containers in Mombasa and is leading a multi-agency team of senior government officials in supervising exams across the country.
Machogu has this mooring overseen the opening of containers at Deputy County Commissioner’s office in Mvita, Mombasa County.
Machogu who officially kick-started the distribution of this year’s KCPE and KPSEA examination papers in Mombasa assured the public that exams are secure in all 493 containers across the country.
“I want to assure you that there will no cheating, we will present a credible exam where integrity will not be compromised.” Machogu has said.
“Containers for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) will be opened at 6am.” KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njeng’ere said.
Containers with Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) papers will be opened at 7am.
The containers have a double locking system, which requires that either the Deputy County Commissioner or Assistant County Commissioner, depending on whoever is at the point where the container is, will have one security key and the other key will be with the Sub-County Director of Education.
Water, Irrigation and Sanitation Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome is leading the multi-agency team in Murang’a County, Sports CS Ababu Namwamba (Nairobi) while Mining Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Salim Mvurya is overseeing Kisumu County.
Rehearsals for Grade Six and Standard Eight were conducted on Friday.
Today, KCPE candidates are sitting for three papers; Mathematics, English language and composition.
Their KPSEA counterparts will take Mathematics and English Language.
Tomorrow, KPSEA candidates will sit their Integrated Science and Kiswahili papers while KCPE candidates will have Science, Kiswahili and Insha papers.
While KPSEA learners will take Creative Arts and Social Studies on the third and last day, KCPE candidates will be sitting their Social Studies and Religious Education papers. Other than Composition and Insha, all the other papers comprise multiple-choice questions.
