Education Permanent Secretary Belio Kipsang has denied allegations that the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examinations (KCSE) has leaked.
The PS said the exams are well conducted and the only challenge they have is 'early exposure'. Speaking on Friday, November 15, the PS affirmed that the exams have been running smoothly.
"One thing I want to affirm is that the exams have not leaked, because an examination leakage is where people get exposure to the exams maybe a day or two early. What we have been having is what we call early exposure where people receive the papers the same they are receiving here.
"Once they are in school as they distribute to the students somebody takes a photo of the paper that has already been opened [sic]. That one is not a leakage, it is an early exposure," said the PS.
According to the PS, the Ministry has taken strict measures to ensure that any malpractices are dealt with.
Kipsang also said that personalising the papers will ensure that the culprits are punished individually and not an entire examination center.
"This year, we changed strategy. All our exams are personalized. When a student allows their paper to be photographed that paper is traced to an individual to ensure people take personal responsibility," the PS said.
This comes just a day after the PS had accused parents of helping students cheat in the ongoing exams.
Kipsang faulted parents for allowing the candidates to go to school with phones which are being used to photograph the exam papers and sponsor cheating.
"The biggest problem in our examinations are we adults, the parents in most cases, because when we hear people saying there's mobilization of resources to compromise our staff the people who are mobilizing the resources are not our staff, it is we as parents," the PS said.
The Ministry of Education has lauded the exam process this year saying they have tightened the noose on cheats.
The exams are set to be completed on November 22, 2024.
