Magoha cautions exam centre managers in leakage attempts
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha yesterday cautioned exam centre managers against attempts to collude in buying fake examination papers for candidates in the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination.
Magoha said the Ministry of Education has discovered that some school heads who are in charge of examination centres collude in leaking exams for candidates, warning that stern measures would be taken against those found culpable.
“Exam centre managers must forthwith stop being naive by giving students fake materials that only confuse them more. The government is alert and will not let you go without being subjected to appropriate punishment,” Magoha said.
Leaking exam papers
He further stated centre managers who were leaking exam papers are not helping the students successfully undertake their exams but are instead confusing them.
The CS argued that students who revise fake examination materials are prone to be negatively affected while sitting the exams even though they are adequately prepared to tackle the test.
“Such candidates end up getting confused and lose concentrations in examination room upon discovering that the papers they revised are fake,” he said.
Speaking when he supervised the opening and distribution of KCSE exam papers in Homa Bay town yesterday, Magoha reiterated that the government is determined and will not lose focus on ensuring that the integrity of the KCSE exams is protected.
He questioned the source of money by people who are out to steal exams to buy fake exams papers.
According to Magoha, the ministry has mapped out areas and centres where cases of attempted cheating in exams are rampant.
He said the government has arrested and charged a number of suspects accused of engaging in exam irregularities across the country.
“The examination exercise has been going on smoothly until few days back when some rogue centre managers started confusing candidates with fake papers. We’ll catch up with these people even in the internet,”Magoha said.
Exam irregularities
The CS, who was accompanied by Homa Bay County Commissioner Moses Lilan, the county police commander Esther Seroney and other education officials, reminded security officers to be extra vigilant at times when manning exams.
“It’s unfortunate that some security officers relaxed from their work. Don’t trust anyone during exams even the centre manager,” he said.
He directed supervisors to conduct thorough frisking of candidates in order to eliminate attempt to smuggle unwanted foreign materials in exam rooms.
“Appropriate action is going to be taken against a student who photographed an exam paper so that the paper can be done for them elsewhere,” he added. Homa Bay has 343 exam centres.
