School Heads, Parents, and Private Schools Worried About Exam Center Closures
Students from 162 schools whose examination centres were closed will take their exams at nearby schools, Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) has said.
The list of closed centres has not been made public, according to Knec chief executive David Njengere but he assured schools and parents that the agency would make sure the exams went smoothly.
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He said registration of examination centres has been concluded and further instructions will be issued to schools ahead of next year.
He stated that some examination centres had been merged with others. The reduction affects 24 secondary schools and 138 primary schools, each of which had fewer than 30 candidates.
Standard 8 exams will be administered to candidates over three days, from March 7 to March 9, 2021, with rehearsals scheduled for March 6.
Written exams for Form 4 candidates will be held from February 28 to April 1, with practicals beginning as early as January.
According to Kenya Private Schools Association executive officer Peter Ndoro, the decision to reduce examination centres will hurt some students because they will have to walk long distances to host schools.
He stated that private schools had requested that lawmakers increase funding for the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) in order for closed centres to reopen.
Mr Ndoro believes that the merging of centres should be reconsidered in order to ensure that children take their exams at their respective schools.
“Even if this issue is not resolved for this year’s examination, our MPs should consider going through our request and allocate more funds to Knec for the sake of the Kenyan children,” he said.
Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association (Kepsha) Chairman Johnstone Nzioka stated that the organization had received no complaints from public primary school heads regarding the merger of examination centres.
“It seems public primary schools were not affected, because I have not heard any complaints from school heads so far. I am hoping all schools are okay and have registered their candidates,” he said.
Knec had directed that the affected schools’ principals and heads of schools work with the sub-county and county directors of education to identify the host schools.
Parents, particularly those from private schools, have expressed concern that their children’s performance may suffer if they take their exams at host schools.
A petition from a parent is still pending in court, challenging Knec’s decision to reduce the number of candidates a centre should have.
As a result of the policy of 100% transition from primary to secondary, the majority of public secondary schools have overcrowded classes.
In the most recent Form One placements, almost all secondary schools received nearly double their capacity.
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School Heads, Parents, and Private Schools Worried About Exam Center Closures
