The National Assembly has approved a request by the Principal Secretary for Basic Education, Belio Kipsang, to reinstate Ksh5.1 billion for the administration of national examinations. This ensures that the KPSEA and KCSE exams go on undisturbed.
The funds, Kipsang had warned, if not availed would compromise the administration and supervision of national exams, throwing the exam dates into uncertainty. The reaction has been the proposal by the Departmental Committee on Education to reinstate the cut funds, which has just been passed by the National Assembly.
A statement from the National Assembly said that the committee’s proposal was due to the smooth administration of this year’s national examinations. In case the proposal was rejected, over 3 million students were to undergo changes in the exam schedules, including those of:
- 1,264,842 Grade 3 learners
- 1,313,913 KPSEA learners
- 965,501 KCSE students
Importance of the Reinstated Funds
According to PS Kipsang, these are important funds that cater for supervision, invigilation, and coverage of examiners’ costs. He said that their reinstatement was in line with the Government’s policy on free and compulsory basic education.
According to the Kenya National Examinations Council, KCSE exams are set to start on Monday, November 11, with English Functional Skills, and end on Friday, November 22, with Physics Paper 3 Practical. KPSEA exams are set to start on October 25 and end on October 30.
Support for Teachers
In some of the demands, it agreed to the reinstatement of the Exam funds and even offered a budget that would see 46,000 intern teachers transition to permanent and pensionable terms. The Education Departmental Committee said JSS teachers under the internship programme would be permanently employed this financial year.
This is one sure sign of the government’s commitment to stability and the quality of education in Kenya, with crucial support for both students and teachers.