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Let us look examinations cheating right in the eye
- Details
- Published on Monday, 04 June 2007 04:43
Fury has been directed at the Kenya National Examinations Council. Emotions have gone a notch higher, especially in the three Kisii districts for what is perceived to be a move to unfairly condemn students from the region.
Why are Kisii schools affected year in, year out? Some politicians read malice. Others have alleged that governments have had the penchant of reviving the late Cabinet minister Zachary Onyonka’s infamous statement that "no Kisii can pass an examination without cheating".
Some have blamed disgruntled elements in and out of Kisii for feeding KNEC with falsehoods about cheating every year. KNEC, the argument goes, then uses the wild allegations to guillotine innocent students.
While the veracity of these claims are open for debate, education in Kisii is reeling from unique experiences that make cheating in national examinations a must attempt. In the past decade, Gusiiland has had a phenomenal proliferation of clan primary and secondary schools.
Nearly every primary school has a corresponding secondary school nearby. In some cases, they even share the same compound, including classrooms and other facilities!
This has brought education to the people’s doorsteps but it has its dangers and disadvantages. It is almost impossible for a teacher to become a school or deputy head, if he or she is not from the local clan. Merit and performance have no place.
This has engineered a spillover effect: School administrators are agents of the clan whose main interest is to ensure that clansmen pass examinations, no matter what. This is why impersonation during national examinations is widespread. It goes like this: A parent asks a head teacher to help a candidate. He cannot refuse because he knows exactly how he got his job. If he refuses to play ball, an immediate head hunt for someone who can do the parents’ bidding" begins.
Head teachers are under pressure to deliver good results to warrant a stay at a school. Examination malpractices are crucial to a principal’s survival.
The mushrooming of schools has led to cut-throat competition for students. Parents and students opt for schools that "do well". Heading a secondary school is a veritable gold mine for teachers.
Principals engage in examination irregularities so that their schools can do well and thus be attractive to KCPE candidates. Drilling, hunting for leakage and examination papers as well as collusion are many principals’ strategies for success. In fact, student nomadism has reached unprecedented levels because parents have their ears on the ground for the best performing schools.
People who want to join politics build clan-based schools for political expediency. The schools are poorly equipped and constructed.
Leaders need to look afresh into the twin problems of education standards and examination cheating. Passing the buck whenever is not usefu
