Education CS Machogu ‘corrects’ KCSE results critics
The Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has corrected critics of the recent Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results.
The results that were released last week elicited mixed reactions on social media with a cross-section of Kenyans expressing doubts of the validity of the results, in light of the outstanding performance.
Members of Parliament and education experts have also been sucked into the debate amid calls for a probe into some schools whose average grades had a sharp rise.
The last year’s results brought to fame some ‘unknown’ schools while some academic giants had fewer numbers of As. However, Machogu has since responded to the questions raised.
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“I have seen misrepresentation and incorrect information about KCSE results. This is propaganda coined by sadists. There is no major disparity in performance over the last two years that warrants social media outcry. I do not see any problem with more students qualifying to enter universities,” Machogu said during the launch of Grade Seven books at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).
The 2022 KCSE examination saw 881,416 learners being examined with 443,644 being male (50.33 per cent) and being females 437,772 (49.67 per cent). In 2021, of the 826,807 candidates; 405,489 were female while 421,318 were male.
Although gender parity was attained in the last year’s examination, boys outperformed girls in the highest score – grade A – with 875 against 271.
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For candidates who attained a C+ (Plus), the minimum university entry qualification was 173,345 with boys 96,876 while girls 76,469. In 2021, only 145,776 candidates attained a Grade C+.
The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) said 2,706 candidates did not sit the examination despite registering. Some 1,459 were males and the rest were females.
In the 2021 tests, 4,047 candidates did not sit the test, with 2,043 being females and 2004 males.
Of the 2,136 candidates with special needs and disabilities who sat the 2022 Form Four national examination, a total of 120 boys and 70 girls attained C+, the minimum university entry qualification.
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