Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has outlined the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring the national exams go on as planned. This comes even after Kenyans look ahead to the poll date set by IEBC on October 17th, with some calling for the altering of the dates. KCSE special papers will begin on 23rd October while the written exam will take place between November 6th and 29th, while KCPE will be done on 1st and 2nd November, with the rehearsal set for 31st October.
While addressing the press after meeting stakeholders in Nairobi on Monday, CS Matiang’i said the Ministry of Education won’t falter in their focus, “We are ready to conduct exams, totally ready,” he said, “We are better prepared this year than we were last year, because the new system of administering exams and managing exams have been fine-tuned.”
He said they will conduct exams as outlined in the timetable KNEC has already issued, “We are in touch with all the critical stakeholders and happy we are on the same page in terms of preparing exams,” said Matiang’i. He assured candidates preparing for the exams that they shouldn’t worry, given that all is set and nothing will change.
KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion said that academic matters should never be politicized. “For any nation, children come first, and we’ve looked at the processes that the Kenya National Examination Council and the Ministry (education) have put in place and we are absolutely satisfied,” he said, “The dates set and outlined should not be altered for whatsoever reasons.”
He said exams are critical for the candidates, and they aren’t preparing for polls but exams, “Regardless of whether there are changes or no changes in the date of elections we shall support the timetable as it is so that children and teachers can prepare,” he quipped, adding that changes in the IEBC timetable won’t affect the exams because the two are independent processes.