The Parliamentary Education Committee has expressed confidence in the Kenya National Examination Council’s (KNEC) handling of the 2023 KCPE exams, despite widespread complaints from parents, students, and schools.
Committee Chair Hon. Julius Melly, who led a fact-finding visit to KNEC’s marking center, declared the process “beyond reproach.” However, parents and school heads remain unconvinced, urging the committee to visit individual schools where they believe student results are inaccurate.
“We are not satisfied with the committee’s assessment based solely on a visit to the marking center,” stated a spokesperson for the Concerned Parents Association. “We urge them to come to our schools and meet with the students and teachers directly to understand the discrepancies we have raised.”
Several schools have reported irregularities in the KCPE results, including:
Uncharacteristically low marks: Students who consistently performed well throughout the year received significantly lower marks on the final exam.
Unexplained discrepancies: Differences were observed between the marks recorded by teachers and those reflected in the official results.
Lack of transparency: KNEC has not provided a satisfactory explanation for the discrepancies, fueling speculation and frustration.
These concerns have been echoed by parents and students who are questioning the fairness and credibility of the KCPE results. They fear that the errors will have a detrimental impact on students’ secondary school placement and future educational opportunities.
“The future of our children is at stake,” stated a parent whose child’s results inexplicably dropped. “We demand a thorough investigation and a transparent explanation from KNEC. We need to ensure that all students are fairly assessed and receive the results they deserve.”
The Parliamentary Education Committee is now facing pressure to take further action and address the concerns raised by parents and schools. Whether they will conduct additional investigations or stand by their initial assessment of KNEC’s handling of the KCPE results remains to be seen.