The Ministry of Education through its Principal Secretary, Belio Kipsang, banned all mock and joint examinations for all schools.
In a statement dated July 6, a Ministry representative, in their correspondence to Kenyans.co.ke on July 14, provided further details on the purpose of the measure, emphasizing its aim to address the mounting cases of school unrest.
"The purpose of this circular is to ask you to bring to the attention of all schools within your jurisdiction and take corrective measures to stop any occurrence," read the statement in part.
The ministry further advised all schools to desist from holding any inter-school examinations since the program would interfere with the school calendar.
Kipsang added that the decision was agreed upon after a meeting with the Parliamentary Committee on Education and the Special Investigation Team chaired by David Koech and Claire Omollo respectively.
Earlier, the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) advocated for the ban on joint mock exams.
The association further suggested that the ministry should implement more strategies to ensure sanity in the education sector.
In previous proposals, the ministry sought to replace mock exams with Continuous Assessment Tests (CATs) arguing that the practice had been commercialised by different schools.
According to the ministry, school strikes had been leading to increased tension in schools particularly in boarding institutions. These strikes were motivated by a variety of challenges faced by students, as well as their demands for better conditions.
Teachers from different schools complained that transfer students were leading strikes and causing destruction of educational institutions.
In 2021, the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) expressed their concern about student strikes, which were reportedly triggered by the announcement of shorter half-term breaks announced by the ministry.
The union's chairman Omboko Milemba explained that mid-term breaks were essential for students to ease pressure and allow parents to counsel their children before resuming school.
