NAIROBI OCTOBER 23, 2015 (CISA) – The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops has expressed concern over reports of leakage of the 2015 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (KCSE).
“It is our considerate view that exam leakage in this country has reached alarming levels, putting the credibility of our education system at stake,” said Bishop Maurice Makumba Muhatia, Chairman Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) Commission for Education and Religious Education.
“If not checked, this evil is likely to jeopardize the future of our young people, the credibility of professionalism and integrity of our country,” the bishop said during a press conference October 23 at Waumini house in Westlands, Nairobi.
The bishop noted that examination leakage gives unfair advantage and a false sense of success, thereby eroding the values of honesty, hard work and individual responsibility.
“The effect of this is that deserving learners are locked out of higher levels of training and education and consequently out of their dream careers, thus eroding the culture of hard work,” he said.
“In effect a culture of injustice, corruption and cheating is ingrained in the minds of our young people,” said the bishop.
He called upon the Ministry of Education and the Kenya National Examination Council to get to the bottom of this matter.
“The Cabinet Secretary in charge of Education and the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Examinations Council must personally take responsibility for this grave matter,” said the bishop.
The bishop also noted that the Kenya National Examination Act 29 – 40 on examination malpractice is not being enforced effectively to curb this vice and says that time has come for us as a country to rethink the administration and management of examinations and determine whether it is an appropriate model.
“We have observed a culture that people in this country are not being accountable for their actions and demand action be taken against those who are involved in examination malpractice according to the law of the land,” the bishop added.
