No more ‘Stupid As’, Knec boss warns as KCSE exam enters second week
Students will not get “stupid As” in this year’s national exams following tough regulations to curb cheating, the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) chairman George Magoha has promised.
Prof Magoha said the State was determined to ensure that integrity of both national exams was upheld.
He said the era of candidates getting undeserved high marks was over.
“It is (high) time parents and students got used to having genuine grades even if it is Cs. We are tired of seeing students score stupid As that were obtained through illegal means,” he said.
Speaking on Monday in Kisii Town when he accompanied Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang to monitor distribution of KCSE papers to various schools, Prof Magoha said a grade of C+ was considered a pass in the universities and could facilitate students to pursue any career of their choice.
ILL-GOTTEN As
“This obsession with ill-gotten As and other high grades must stop. With a C+ a student can pursue any course, from medicine to engineering (in the university). That cheating culture must stop forthwith,” a tough-talking Prof Magoha said.
They later went to some schools in the county to check on examination progress.
Dr Kipsang said they had so far recorded minimal cases of irregularities this year mostly in private examination centres.
“We have had very few cases of exam malpractices this year, mostly involving private candidates. Impersonation was the most common offence among the few private candidates who were arrested last week,” he said.
He told the Nation that the government had sealed loopholes that had encouraged exam cheating for a long time.
“In the past, cheating mostly occurred due to collusion between Knec officials, teachers and students. We have now eliminated the gaps within the exam process,” he said.
They went to Kisii School and Nyabururu Girls High School before proceeding to Siaya County for the next phase of their tour.
VALUE OF HONESTY
Prof Magoha said eradication of cheating in examinations would teach students the value of honesty and reduce cases of school unrest.
“Some of the unrests we have been having are due to students venting their anger on school administrators for failing to facilitate leakage of exams. What students need is tough love. There is no need to babysit them anymore,” said the KNEC chair.
Kisii County Commissioner Kula Hache said examinations have so far been administered smoothly except for one case of impersonation experienced last week at Sameta Adult Education Centre.
Mr Denis Atinda, a teacher at Nyabururu Girls, and Ms Quinter Atuya were last week arrested and charged in court with impersonation, conspiracy to cheat and cheating in examinations.
The pair was released on a Sh200, 000 bond and a surety of a similar amount with a cash bail of Sh80, 000.
