State prepares for El Nino ah**d of exams

The government is in the process of mapping out various regions across the country to assess specific needs ahead of national exams scheduled to begin next month.

It has also restricted activities within schools ahead of the national exams.

Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang revealed that given the forecast by the Kenya Meteorological Department that El Nino rains are set to start later this month, plans are underway to map out regions that are prone to flooding to enable the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) prepare for the coordination and distribution of examination materials.

Over 1.2 million class eight candidates are set to sit the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam starting on October 30 up to November 2.

Another over 900,000 Form Four candidates will sit Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams which runs from November 3 to November 24.

Learners in grade six will on their part undertake the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA).

“Lets map out regions and assess the needs and prepare early. We are planning with the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO), we need to know where we may need the support of air transport so that we can ensure that our candidates, teachers, centre managers, invigilators, security officer can access the centres and examination material can be distributed with ease,” explained Kipsang.
He was speaking during a meeting with Coast Region field officers at Shimo La Tewa Secondary School in Mombasa county yesterday.

The preparations come in the wake of forecasts by the Met that there is a 99 per cent chance that the country will experience El Niño rains beginning October.

El Niño is characterised by above-average rainfall, occurring every three to five years, causing flooding in the affected areas.

The weatherman has warned people living in the lowlands to be on the lookout for floods and move to safer places.

Among the most affected regions will be the Lake Victoria Basin region, Kisii, Elgeyo Marakwet, Bungoma, Trans Nzoia, West Pokot, Vihiga, Laikipia, Nakuru and Narok counties. “In the highlands east of the Rift Valley, Nairobi included, rainfall is expected throughout the season above the season’s long-term average. The rainfall will be well distributed in terms of space,” said the department.

The Kenya Red Cross has called on Kenyans and the government to put in measures to avert disaster when the rains begin.

The PS further reiterated the government’s resolve to minimise activities that are not related to examination preparation during the third term.

“We want to minimise activities for candidates because by doing so, we minimise exposure to issues that can distract them from adequately preparing for the exams.

This is why we minimise traveling for candidates in the third term because we want to shield them against exposure to accidents, cases of food poisoning etc. Let’s deal with school fees within the first and second term and restrict activities within the school community to give candidates adequate space and time to prepare,” Kipsang directed the field officers.

Vigilant approach

While noting that this year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination will be the last under the 8-4-4 system, the PS said that examination monitoring will adopt a more vigilant approach this time round.

He called on the multi-agency team involved in management of the examination to ensure that the last batch of the 8-4-4 candidates in primary school exit with dignity.

Kipsang expressed worries about the growing level of mistrust in the management of national examinations noting that going forward, there is a need to restore and entrench trust in the conduct of such exams in the country.

“Why is it that society seems to tend to lose trust in managing the exams within that one month or one week after the whole eight years in primary or four year in high school such that we have to involve our security system for us to believe that the exams are safe? We need to restore the trust just the way we trust our doctors with patients in the operation rooms,” noted the PS.