Magoha pardons two KCSE students arrested for exam malpractice
Two Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) students in Nairobi have been arrested after they were caught with mobile phones in the exam room.
But Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha said he will be lenient and hand the boys another chance to sit for the exams.
“We will be soft on the two students nabbed with cell phones and allow them to take exams. But I want to warn any teacher who feels they are brave enough to open the second paper we shall come for you as we did in Wajir,” said the CS.
Magoha, who spoke in Nyali, Mombasa County while supervising the distribution of exam materials, issued a stern warning Monday to what he termed as exam cartels planning to engage in any exam malpractice saying that the government will not have pity on them.
The CS assured parents and other stakeholders that the exams will be credible adding that the Ministry had managed to break a ring of what he described as crooks comprised of teachers, parents, and students planning to steal the exams.
“A teacher who steals exams cannot be intelligent. We will not have mercy this time round on those we will arrest. This time around, because of our children, we shall be quasi dictatorial,” the CS said, adding that:
“The guiltier are teachers, some of whom are traders and crooks and we dismantled their cartel in primary schools but they have formed another one. This morning in Nairobi we have two students found with cell phones but we will be soft and allow them to sit the exam.”
About 831,015 form four students are sitting this year’s exams in 10,413 examination centers spread across the country with each exam center being manned by two police officers.
The students began with English Paper one followed by Mathematics paper one and English Comprehension.
However, the practicals and oral tests for German, French, Arabic, and Kenya sign language began on February 28.
The CS said that students were well prepared for the exams with schools and teachers finishing their syllabus on time in readiness for the exams.
“I want to wish the candidates the very best in their exams and tell them that they should run away from Satan, don’t accept someone to send you things on phone. You don’t need an idiot to give you the wrong answers, a teacher who steals exams is not intelligent,” said Magoha.
Prof Magoha said delivering credible exams was a prerogative of the government, and such efforts that would enable that will be implemented.
“This being my last examination, I would want to [tell] Kenyans that we developed the container system that has delivered credible results. Our qualifications are respected worldwide. The incoming administration should know that no condition is permanent, but our children being in school is and therefore should not change the existing plans because they don’t like the person who initiated it,” he said.