In order to calm unrest cases in schools, Secondary school heads have proposed postponement of national examinations for two months .
The school principals also proposed early closure of schools to contain the growing indiscipline cases among the learners.According to them ,the rise in arson cases is attributed to lack of preparedness by students to sit for the national examinations scheduled for March next year
Kenya Secondary School Heads Asociation (KESSHA) Chair Kahi Indimuli said the current candidates were in Form Three last year, and their long stay at home may have affected their preparedness for examinations
When we brought on board Form Four students last year, these students were left at home for a long time. During the period, they were not properly engaged, and some got into the business while some picked up bad behaviour “Said Indimuli.
He said,Because of the long stay ,the KCSE candidates have panicked after realising that they are running out of time.
While at home, they had a lot of free time. They realise they no longer have the freedom even as teachers try to reintegrate them,” said Indumuli.
Once they came back to school, they have realised that they are not prepared tor the examinations and are using bad manners to communicate their frustrations,” added Indimuli.
While accompanying his Interior counterpart, Fred Matiang’i, in a tour of South Mugirango, Kisii County on Monday, December 6,Education Cabinet Secretary, George Magoha alleviated fears by KCPE and KCSE candidates who had expressed concerns that next year’s national exams will cover the whole syllabus yet they spent most of the school calendar at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Magoha assured the students that the government will consider such factors while working closely with the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and other stakeholders while setting the exams.
Inorder to address the challenges the student have faced during the pandemic ,KCPE and KCSE exams will be tailor-made to factor in those issues.
He further assured learners that examinations will have a human face as only quetions from topics they have learnt, will be set in the forthcoming exams.
Cs Magoha asked candidates to be calm as he reaffirmed that the government understands how the school year was disrupted by the pandemic.
Let our learners maintain calm and be ready to sit the examinations. We are going to ensure we have a human face in the coming examinations. Candidates should not fear,” Magoha stated.
Mr Indimuli further proposed that the early closure of schools and postponement of examinations will greatly help students calm down.
Even if we delay examinations by one or two months ,we are already late in the whole school calendar “He said.
The second term of the revised school calendar started on October 11,and will run till December 23rd.Third term will start on January 3,2022 and end on March 4th 2022.
He also proposed that the 2023 school calendar to start in March
The 2023 school calendar was to start in January .We can delay this a bit to start in March so that we can accommodate this adjustment of the students because of the pressure” Indimuli said