Form Four Students Strike Demanding KCSE Exam Leakage

Form four students from Ortum Boys High School in West Pokot County went on a rampage demanding to be assisted to cheat in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination. 

Students became unruly and destroyed property, forcing the administration to close down the school indefinitely and send home the learners.

Addressing journalists, West Pokot county education director Jared Obiero stated that he held a meeting with education stakeholders, the principal of the school and students after receiving intelligence report that the students had planned a strike to protest 'non-cooperation' of their principal in the exam cheating scheme. 

Director Obiero stated he had established that the students demanded that the principal declare his stand and supports them in exam cheating. 

[caption caption="Ortum High School students"][/caption]

"We talked to the students telling them what they are demanding cannot be tolerated anywhere. But still, they did not understand us," the Director stated. 

"The principal is new and has been here for only three weeks. They kept asking him to declare if he supports them in exam malpractices," he added.

In 2017, results of 320 students of the school were cancelled over cheating and efforts by area Member of Parliament David Pkosing to move to court and challenge the KNEC decision, was futile. 

The school principal Tiony Simon stated that: "They claim they want to be assisted to pass exams through cheating but I dismissed them and told them teachers will prepare them for exams. This changed the mood and they started chanting that Tiony must go." 

The Kenya National Examination council (KNEC) had issued a statement on exam cheating, warning students and teachers against the malpractice.

[caption caption="Ortum High School students on strike"][/caption]

"The council wishes to categorically state that, as has been the case in the last two years, all measures have been put in place to ensure that examination materials are safe and that no one will breach our enhanced security mechanisms at any point of the examination process," a statement signed by the council's acting chief executive officer, Dr Mercy Karogo read in part.