Teachers have rejected a proposal by the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) outlining strict rules to deal with exam cheating –...
Teachers have rejected a proposal by the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) outlining strict rules to deal with exam cheating
– This was during the ongoing Kenya Primary Schools Headteachers Association (Kepsha) conference in Mombasa, where suggestions to re-introduce corporal punishment in schools was also shunned
Teachers have turned down proposals to have strict rules governing examination cheating, as well as the reintroduction of caning in schools.
Over 10,000 headteachers and delegates attending the ongoing Kepsha annual conference in Mombasa shouted off stage a Knec official as he was reading out a new set of stringent measures to help curb rampant exam cheating on Tuesday, August 9.
Knec Deputy Secretary in charge of Field Administration Mahumud Ibrahim who was giving the address on behalf of acting Knec CEO Mercy Karogo was booed down and forced to exit the stage mid-speech, after announcing that headteachers would be held responsible for any exam cheating found in their schools.
Jeers and boos rented the air in the packed hall at Sheikh Khalifa Secondary School as leaders of the event took to the stage while Ibrahim exited, reported The Standard.
The teachers accused Knec of announcing a one-sided policy that they said was arrived at without consulting them.
“If today they make school heads responsible for collection of examination papers, then who knows, tomorrow they might even ask school heads to guard or offer security during examinations,” Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Kilindini branch executive secretary Dan Aloo said.
He added that teachers supported streamlining of the education sector, but insisted on proper consultation with all stakeholders in ensuring the same.
The Knec official later returned to the hall after calm had been restored and announced that teachers would be called upon to give their views on the matter.
He noted that Knec was committed to clean up its image following widespread cheating cases in the 2015 nation exams, that saw the institution partly blamed.
At the same time, delegates championing for children rights at the conference rejected proposals to re-introduce caning in schools to ensure discipline among students.
Caning, which was abolished in schools, had been proposed by several education stakeholders to be brought back following cases of apparent indiscipline and unrest in schools especially the recent torching of learning institutions.
The delegates cautioned that using corporal punishment could actually lead to rebellion and more cases of indiscipline, instead suggesting that school administrations and teachers look towards democratic systems of dealing with delinquent learners.
