Exam cheating takes a new form

Written By:Samson Kitavi/KNA,    Posted: Wed, Dec 28, 2011

Education Minister displays a bathroom 'slipper' with answers scribbed on it Only four of the 47 counties did not experience exam irregularities with the perpetrators of the vice adopting new methods to outwit measures put in place by the government. Education Minister Prof. Sam Ongeri regretted the rise in exam irregularities and pointed an accusing finger at the high level of collusion at examination centres. "While we have made major strides in winning the war against the vice by controlling the interference from outside the school there has been a shift to collusion with examination centre involving the candidates, teachers and other third parties and new tactics to collusion have been developed." Said Ongeri The government has for the last few years stepped its war against cheating in national examinations through various measures but it seems the perpetrators of this vice are not relenting adopting weird method of beating the system. To the amusement of those present, Prof Ongeri brandished a bathroom 'slipper' and a school shirt each with answers scribbled on them. "The Kenya National Examination Council and my ministry have gone out of their way to try and eliminate all other forms of cheating including impersonation, candidates caught with mobile phones, candidates caught with prepared notes and other forms of cheating" Said the minister. In yet another incident, a District Education Officer and a head teacher are yet to know their fate after they tried to bribe a hawk eyed examination supervisor who nabbed a candidate in the act. They however threatened him with death after he declined to accept the bribe In a certain region, a teacher disappeared in thin air after conning unsuspecting parents and pupils 810,000 shillings through M-pesa by purporting to send them exam leakage. According to Prof Ongeri the collusion to cheat involves headteachers, examination supervisors, invigilators, parents and the community at large. 335 examination centres out of the 22,154 countrywide, reportedly cheated in this year's KCPE examinations. Only Nyeri, Laikipia, Turkana and Busia County's had minimal or no cases of examination irregularities. Homabay County tops the list of cheats with 27 cases reported followed closely by Migori (25), Nyamira (22), Kisii (19), Nairobi (17), among others. He said the desperate move by cheats is a major challenge to the KNEC and urged students to change such behaviors warning teachers and supervisors condoning such malpractices that their days are numbered.