At least 900,000 candidates will from today sit for their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examinations (KCSE) until November 24, 2023 even as the curtains fall for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams this year after 38 years.
This year’s KCSE candidate did their rehearsals on Thursday, October 19, 2023.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) says KCSE 903,260 candidates are registered for the examinations.
Rehearsals for KCPE and Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) are set for Friday, October 27, 2023.
Exams for KCPE, KPSEA and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Level Education Assessment (KILEA) are scheduled to commence on October 30, 2023.
The assessments will be conducted across a vast network of 10,651 examination centers across the country.
Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang emphasised the importance of professionalism among the monitoring officers overseeing the examinations.
“We play a bigger role than just delivering the examinations; we must also motivate the candidates that this is a process that we all went through and they can also do it successfully.” Kipsang noted.
This year’s national examinations mark a significant transition, signaling the conclusion of the 8-4-4 education system as Kenya embarks on a new chapter under the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC).
KNEC is expected to engage 1,700 officers to monitor the administration of the exams.
The council said the officers are not only from Knec but also from other institutions within the education sector.
The 2023 KCPE examinations will mark the end of the 8-4-4 system in primary schools.
Over 3.5 million candidates will sit national examinations with KCPE candidates covering the most soaring number ever recorded in the country.
Just under a million will sit KCSE exams this year while 1.4 million will sit KCPE exams. Those registered to sit the inaugural KPSEA are 1.2 million.
