Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos has directed schools affected by ethnic clashes to be consolidated into a single examination center to ensure learners do not miss the national exams.
This directive came against the backdrop of heightened tension in Tana River which has seen many people displaced. As a result, eight primary schools were closed due to a recent ethnic crisis.
The affected schools are; Jajabu, Matangala, Nanihi, Subo, Tune, Gamano, Darime, and Mitobini which were closed following heightened ethnic clashes that threatened the security of learners.
However, Migos, while visiting the affected schools, assured that exams will proceed as planned with affected learners relocated to the nearest secure centers to ensure safety.
“We are working in a multi-agency team with the Ministry of Interior and many other ministries to ensure that no learner will miss their exams. Some of those are being moved from the centers they were into another central place that is safer for them to be able to undertake examinations,” CS Migos stated.
The CS of Education further noted that schools located in areas experiencing security concerns that could potentially disrupt the administration of these examinations would have their examination centres relocated to safer locations.
Nationally, the national examinations kicked off on Monday, October 28, for both grade six learners sitting for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and form four students doing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
With over 2.2 million learners set to begin the exams and assessments, security concerns have become a focal point, particularly in regions grappling with recent ethnic tensions and instability.
Separately, Baringo’s County Commissioner Stephen Katwa announced the deployment of 2,000 security officers to safeguard the 2024 national exams.
“We have partnered with the Ministry of Education to make sure examinations are conducted smoothly. Generally, Baringo has been peaceful. We expect we will not face any hiccups,” he stated.
Earlier, on Sunday, the Ministry of Education announced elaborate plans to prosecute exam cheats through special courts that have been constituted in a bid to contain examination malpractices.
CS of Education announced that the government has already marked out exam irregularities hotspots in an effort to curb cheating in examinations and further sent a warning to people planning to engage in any malpractices that they will face the full force of the law.
