REVEALED: How top city academies cheat to get top marks
A list of private primary schools involved in unethical practices of registering multiple examination centres for “weak” and “bright” candidates can now be revealed.
Some of the schools managed to get a mean score of more than 400 out 500 marks which means that all their candidates will secure slots in top national schools.
The pass mark for KCPE examination is set at 250 out of 500 marks.
Topping the list of such schools is Makini Academy, Ngong Road, Nairobi, which registered a modest 21 candidates and managed get a mean score of 419.
SATELLITE CENTRES
The school has satellite centres scattered over Nairobi, which means the real number of candidates could be more than 100.
It was followed by Newlight Academy, Komarock, Nairobi, which had 21 candidates with a mean score of 410.
Gilgil Hills Academy had 23 candidates with a mean score of 405, while Lizar Junior School in Naivasha with 70 candidates had a mean score of 404.
Private schools presented less than 15 per cent of the 942,021 candidates who sat for the examination.
The Kenya Private Schools Association admitted that more than 20 schools are involved in this unethical practice and has asked the government to make good its threat and deregister them.
Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i while releasing Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination results on Thursday said the ministry is aware of the practice and promised action.
EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE
“This is a ridiculous examination malpractice since the proprietors of these schools are clearly using innocent pupils in an unscrupulous marketing exercise of their businesses,” said Dr Matiang’i.
Private Schools Association chief executive Peter Ndoro accused the Ministry of Education of failing to act, saying since 2012, his association has been informing it about these schools.
“We hope the ministry will take action this time. Most of these satellite centres register less than 25 candidates,” said Mr Ndoro.
He added that the association will work with the ministry to identify the centres.
Kenya National Examinations Council chairman Prof George Magoha also hit out at the schools, saying they are not centres of excellence as they purport.
DEREGISTER
The CS directed Knec to ensure the directive to deregister such institutions is implemented.
The CS also announced that private candidates would from next year write the tests at public institutions.
He said cases of double registration had been recorded and that is why some candidates did not sit the examination for fear of being arrested.
A total 10,365 candidates did not sit their 2016 KCPE tests.
SOURCE: Sunday Nation
