By Okong’o Oduya
Cabinet secretary of education Fred Matiang’i has been reminded to have consulted stake holders in the education sector before reaching a decision of burning prayers for candidates sitting for national exams in third term.
According to Matiang’i prayers for candidates were an avenue to exam leakages that have been experienced in the recent past.
Secretary general Kenya union of post primary teachers Busia branch Mofat Okisai viewed the CS’s directions were old fashioned and should not be allowed to take effect. He noted that a lot of schools in the country are day schools and as per his directions of blocking candidates from accessing outsiders in third term it will be impossible to tame the day scholars who mingle with the public daily.
“Over 60 per cent of all learning institutions are day schools. Are these candidates not interacting with their parents or what will Matiangi do to such caliber of students? Prayers are usually meant to motivate the candidates to instill confidence in them. Instead of implicating parents, CS should deal with exams irregularities at Mtihani house in Nairobi,” he said.
Speaking in Machakusi village in Teso south during burial of clement Murunga, the secretary general noted that there was a need for Matiangi to involve other stake holders in education sector before coming up with rules. Okisai was echoing what the secretary general Knut Busia Branch Mark Oseno who noted that the move was a good one but the way to execute raising questions on how it will be implemented.
Oseno noted that in most cases exams leakage starts with the KNEC office in Nairobi then spreads so fast through media and social media which makes it easy for students to access the material. This according to him it has nothing to do with parents visiting their children for prayers.
This come barely a week after the cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i issued order to stop prayers and any visiting for candidates in third term from what he termed as a loophole to smuggle in illegal materials that students use to cheat in KCPE and KCSE exams.
According to SC there should be a stop to unnecessary contacts between candidates and outsiders during the exam period, saying that occasions such as AGMs, prize and thanks giving should be rescheduled in the first and second terms to stop influx of illegal exams materials in schools.
