WHY KENYA NATIONAL EXAMINATION COUNCIL (KNEC) MUST BE PART OF EDUCATION PROCESS
By Dr. Gaitho
Finally after witnessing the pendulum
behaviour of our education leadership with regard to resumption of schools and
the uncertainty of when or whether the final exams will be conducted, the
Cabinet Secretary has spoken and asserted that the academic calendar year 2020
is lost. The die has been cast, the
candidates and other learners now have a glimpse of their education path. The parents are relieved, they can now plan.
We in the academia are of the opinion
that there is a lot that need to be done as we move forward since education is
here to stay. While we cannot rule out a recurrence of a similar scenario
whether caused by a pandemic or act of God,
the current scenario must be a lesson to us and should it replay in
future, the lessons learnt shall be applied to avoid “losing” yet another year.
KNEC involvement
KNEC has been absent throughout the
school life of learners. It is high time that this body was called upon to
rethink how to be involved in every examination throughout the school terms of a
student and not wait at the tail end for eight (8) and (four) 4 years to
examine candidates. You see, KNEC waits
for all the work to be done by various stakeholders and appear at the tail end
of a pupil or student’s education life and then appear to determine the future
of their education.
The question is, how much does KNEC
participate in students' education progression to appear as a sieve and hence
judge and condemn or otherwise the success or failure of a long journey that it
was never involved in? Is KNEC main
purpose for its existence to determine who through a single exam deserve to
progress to the next level? KNEC should
ponder along this line and maybe may see the light.
We need to look at different systems of
education like the way IGCSE/GCSE system of education is synchronized (I stand
corrected). In Kenya we could have a hybrid that will have a mutual benefit to
the learners. This way, the candidates
are awarded grades to progress to the next level based on progression
throughout the schooling life and not a one-off examination that will determine
the eight or four years spent in school.
We have a lot of hope and support for
the success of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) system because in it there
is a chance to up the game and salvage what appear to be a desperate situation
not only for learners but education stakeholders.
Dr Vincent G. Gaitho,
Ph.D.)
Pro Chancellor – Mount
Kenya University
www.mku.ac.ke
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