Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang now says this year has the highest number of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and Kenya Certificate for Primary Education (KCPE) candidates in the country’s history.
According to Kipsang, more than 3.5 million candidates will sit for national examinations this year, including the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), KCPE, and the KCSE.
Speaking on Wednesday in a meeting with Field Education Officers and officials of the National Government Administration Officers(NGAO) over the 2023 KCPE and KCSE examinations, Dr. Kipsang said that the Ministry of Education analyzed KCPE data and realized there were 300,000 additional learners, some of whom are adults who registered as private candidates.
In regards to the El Niño rains preparations, he assured that all measures have been taken to ensure that they do not disrupt the exams.
“All areas that may be affected by flooding are being mapped. We are mobilizing all government equipment, including our helicopters from the military, Kenya Police Service, Kenya Forest Service, and Kenya Wildlife Service. We are taking measures to ensure that the rains do not disrupt the exams,” Kipsang said.
He added that the state has also assured that candidates from banditry- and terror-attack-prone regions will be safe and secure as they sit for exams.
Meanwhile, KCPE and KPSEA candidates will have their rehearsal on October 27, 2023. The tests for both levels will start on October 30 and go through November 1, 2023.
KCSE exams, on the other hand, will start on October 23, 2023, and end on November 24, 2023. The rehearsals will take place on October 19, 2023.
Dr. Kipsang’ emphasized that this year’s KCPE marks the final phase of transitioning to a competency-based education level at the primary level.