School heads warned against registering foreign learners without KNEC approval.

Phillip Kimanthi (Left), an official from KNEC responding to questions from the press after the KCPE/KCSE exams briefing at Thika High School on Wednesday. With him is Thika West sub-county Director of Education Ronald Mbogo and his Thika East counterpart Rose Sagala.

Headteachers and principals have been cautioned against registering non-Kenyan learners for national examinations without the approval of the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC).

While addressing school heads and examination center managers from both Thika East and Thika West sub-counties during this year’s KCPE and KCSE exams briefing at Thika High School on Wednesday, Phillip Kimanthi, an official from KNEC said that all international students applying for admission into the Kenyan Education System had to undergo some placement test administered by KNEC in order to ascertain their appropriate class levels in accordance with the Kenyan curriculum.

He added that no private exam centres would be allowed to register less than 20 candidates and institutions with less students must either register with another institution or be hosted in the sub-county as private candidates.

Kimanthi also cautioned the teachers against laxity during the exam period advising them to be proactive to avoid being caught up by avoidable irregularities while the exams were in progress.

“You should identify risk areas well in advance and think them over in order to prepare yourself in case of any eventualities. I would also like to caution exams managers against indulging in alcoholism during the exercise as this will affect their effectiveness,” said Kimanthi.

He also cautioned them against blindly accepting too much hospitality from their hosts as mischievous school proprietors or heads might trick them into compromising the exams supervision.

The occasion was attended by Thika West DCC Douglas Mutai and his Thika East counterpart Thomas Senkei, senior officers from the education ministry and security chiefs from both sub-counties.

This year’s national examinations calendar indicates that the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) tests will begin on October 30.

Rehearsals for the three-day examinations will be held on October 29 and the papers will end on November 1.

The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations will be done between November 2 and 28.

A total of 1.6 million candidates will write this year's Form Four and Standard Eight exams with some 1.06 million pupils sitting for KCPE exams and another 663,820 for the KCSE tests.

323,113 girls and 340,707 boys have registered as KCSE candidates this year, while 529,124 girls and 531,668 boys are listed for KCPE.

Mathematics and chemistry will be done on the first day of the KCSE written papers.

Home science, woodwork and computer studies will complete the KCPE examinations on November 28.

Last year, a total of 1.5 million candidates registered for the two examinations. Some 993,718 sat for KCPE and another 611,952 did the KCSE tests.