National schools shamed as 2014 KCSE results released

BY ERIC G NDUBI


Five national secondary schools were involved in cheating in last year's Kenya Certificate of Secondary School examination.
While releasing the exam results at the Kenya National Examinations Centre in Nairobi on Tuesday, Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi noted that sub-county, county and national schools reported the highest number of irregularities despite admitting top students.
Prof Kaimenyi said there was tremendous improvement in last year's exams compared to 2013.
More than 450,000 candidates sat the exams in 2014, with 149,717 candidates attaining C+ and above.
Grade C+ is the minimum grade for university entry in Kenya, which means 30.8 per cent of the candidates qualified to join public universities compared to 27.5 per cent in 2013.
Some 3,073 (0.63 per cent) candidates scored a mean grade of A plain  in 2014 compared to 2,722 (0.6 per cent) in 2013 while 15 out of 31 subjects recorded improvement.

Prof. Jacob Kaimenyi during the releasing of 2014 KCSE Results at the Kenya National Examinations Center in Nairobi, Tuesday morning (Photo: Courtesy Daily Nation )

“I'm delighted to announce that general performance improved tremendously in 2014 KCSE examination compared to 2013," the CS said.
Male candidates outperformed their female counterparts, with 59 per cent attaining C+ and above compared to girls at 41 per cent.
However, the girls still managed to outshine the boys in five subjects - English, Kiswahili, Christian Religious Education (CRE), Home Science, and Art and Design.
Special Needs Education (SNE) students registered impressive performance, with 180 out of 1,090 candidates attaining C+ and above, five A plains and 14 A minus.
Prof Kaimenyi attributed the improved results to government efforts to tailor education to the needs of students, adding that Kenya is “among few countries in Africa to tailor their education curriculum with needs of students with special needs”.
Meanwhile, Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary General Wilson Sossion has criticized the abolition of school and student rankings saying the decision has reduced the morale of students and teachers and denying them the right to be recognised for their exemplary performance.
“It must be reinstated, it cannot be removed altogether," Mr Sossion said.
At the same time, Prof Kaimenyi warned head teachers against defying the set school fees guidelines, which seek to cushion needy students.
According to the guidelines, Boarding schools are not supposed to charge more than Sh53,000 annually and while day schools are required to charge a maximum of Sh9,394.
School heads, however, say the new school fees regulations are way below their budgets.