Education CS, Fred Matiang'i, shortens exam period in radical measures to end cheating

The Ministry of Education has announced new radical measures aimed at curbing exam cheating in primary and secondary schools across the country.
The new administrative measures include shortening exam period, changing exam timetable, banning of social activities in school and scrapping of half breaks in third terms. This comes after last year’s KCSE exams were leaked leading to cancellation of various results.
The new measures will see all examinations start in November rather than October as it had initially been done.  According to the reorganisational measures announced by the Education Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i, the Kenya Certificate for Primary Education (KCPE) will start November 1-3, 2016  while the Kenya Certificate for Secondary Education (KCSE) will start on November 7^th  and end on November 30^th, 2016.
The Cabinet Secretary said Third Term for all schools – both primary and secondary will commence on August 29^th and end on October 28^th, for Standard One and Seven and Form One to Form Three.  “To accommodate this change, Term Two which was initially scheduled to end on August 5, will extend to August 12,” he observed.
He said activities such as general meeting, prayer meeting among others will be done in First and Second Term to avoid contact with pupils and students around exam time. Prize giving day will only be in Second Term.
“To control and ensure effective preparation for examinations, it has become necessary to control extra-curricular and social activities in schools during Third Term. There will be no prayer sessions for candidates as has been the case in previous years when parents and outsiders visited schools during Third Term,” said Dr Matiang’i.
He however noted that any arrangement consistent with normal school programmes such as prayer meetings conducted by school chaplains and teachers will go on.
Addressing the press in Nairobi, the CS said the Kenya National Examination Council will appoint principals, head masters and their deputies and senior but responsible teachers to be in charge of their school examination centres to support supervisors. They will be aided by school board management.