30 October 2009
editorial
Nairobi — Revelations that students sitting the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination have been accessing prior information on the papers despite the spirited denial by the Kenya National Examinations Council are baffling.
Our investigations show that a cartel of traders has been conveying the questions through the phone eight hours before the exam papers are administered.
Indeed, some teachers are suspicious that their candidates have behaved in a manner suggesting that they have prior information on some papers.
The leaks vindicate findings by the council during an investigation just before the exam last year.
One, therefore, wonders why the KNEC has opted for the convenient route of fervent denial even when credible evidence points in the other direction.
The exam is a critical component in the transition between secondary school and institutions of higher learning.
The KCSE results are expected to shape the careers -- and decide the fortunes -- of thousands of young people.
Therefore, the credibility of the exam outcome should be beyond question, especially to the higher learning institutions.
This is why parents and teachers invest so much money and time in preparing students for the exam. It is also the reason taxpayers inject huge resources in the council.
A faulty exam has far-reaching implications; not only is it a waste of effort and resources, but besides, it demoralises students, who may be forced to rewrite it.
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