Knut opposes Matiang’i directives meant to curb exam cheating

A teachers’ union has dismissed last week’s directives issued by Education secretary Fred Matiang’i to curb exam cheating and blamed Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) for the malpractice.

Wilson Sossion, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) secretary-general, said in a letter to Dr Matiang’i that the directives, which included a reorganisation of the school calendar, are unacceptable.

Last week, Dr Matiang’i issued a raft of regulations to curb cheating including the cancellation of midterm and all social functions in third term as well as shortening the national exam period to four weeks.

“Exams are mismanaged in the hands of Knec officials and the security forces but not related whatsoever to the school calendar. Deal with the security forces and Knec officials,” Mr Sossion said.

Nine top Knec officials were recently fired over the widespread cheating that occurred during the 2015 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations. Exam materials were circulated on social media sites using mobile phones prior to students sitting for the papers.

Knut now joins religious leaders who have opposed the ban on social functions, especially prayer days, which usually come days to national examinations.

Dr Matiang’i said that the decision was taken to reduce contact between students and guardians who use the opportunity to pass over mobile phones used in cheating during exams.

“In last year’s national examination, 30 mobile phones were seized from KCSE candidates after they were delivered to them during prayer sessions by their parents and guardians with the purpose of aiding them in cheating,” he said last week.

Mr Sossion also took issue with other directives like the ban on midterm breaks saying they were introduced to stem student unrest and their removal could see a resurgence of the turmoil in schools.

He further said that Knut was not consulted on the issue dismissing assertions that representatives from the union were present when the decisions were taken.

“Recommendations arrived at in your meetings even in the presence of my representative cannot bind our members unless approved and adopted by the union organs,” he said.

The Education ministry is keen to avoid a repeat of the massive cheating seen last year which has put the credibility of results achieved to question.

Observers have also pointed out that the fresh directives only affect boarding school students leaving their day school counterparts at a cheating advantage.