The ministry of education has put a section of teachers on notice for allegedly helping Grade 7 learners to dodge the CBC system.
Basic Education PS Belio Kipsang says some parents and teachers have been colluding to register Grade 7 learners to sit for the KCPE exam.
According to a circular signed by PS, the plan is being implemented by following a number of illegal processes.
“Falsification of school records, birth records and biodata for Grade 7 and attempts to change/obtain new birth certificates,” Kipsang said.
He added that other schools have gone a notch higher to generate a new UPI number for the Grade 7 learners.
“Facilitating transfers of Grade 7 into other schools and presenting them as Class 8 transfers,” he noted.
Primary schools have the last cohort of learners under the 8-4-4 system who are due to sit their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam at the end of the year.
Such falsified registration would mean Grade 7 learners will skip Junior secondary and instead revert to the old syllabus by joining the last cohort in Standard 8.
Last week, Education CS Ezekiel Machogu said its not possible to transfer the children because of the unique NEMIS number.
He also faulted school heads for taking the children to another step without following due procedure.
“The NEMIS system will note any discrepancies when one student has skipped a step in their education,” Machogu said.
Kipsang wrote the circular to regional and subcounty directors on education on February 8.
“The officers are instructed to liaise with the officers from the state department for citizen services on issues of birth certificate issuance that are abnormal,” Kipsang said.
He asked the directors to report any school found taking part in the unapproved process.
“To this end, all field officers are asked to validate all registration data for 2023 KCPE and point out any abnormal increase in KCPE candidature against 2022 enrollment,” he said.
This is as candidates proceed with registration which began on February 1 and will end on March 30.
According to a circular from the ministry of education, KCPE and KPSEA will begin on November 30 and end on November 2.
This means the exam will take four days just like the initial calendar.
Students writing KCSE exam will also sit the exams from November 3 to November 24.
This takes 21 days, the initial calendar showed KCSE exam would take place from November 10 to December 1.
“KCSE marking will begin on November 27 to December 15,” the circular reads.
The first term will have 13 weeks, second term 14 weeks and third term will be the shortest with 10 weeks.
Students will break from October 28 to January 8, initially, they were supposed to get two months’ break from November 3 till 2024.
