This archive report was first published on 26 October 2019.
Published on October 26, 2019, by Faith Onyeyea, a Nation author.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) has identified several cheating hotspots ahead of this year's national exams, including Bungoma, Kisumu, Kisii, Homa Bay, and Migori.
Despite the council's efforts to curb cheating, including stringent security measures and billions of shillings invested, the problem persists. In 2018, the results of 3,427 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination candidates in 44 schools were cancelled for irregularities.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has vowed to prevent cheating, stating, “no examination will be seen before the morning it is supposed to be seen.” However, the root cause of cheating lies deeper in the education system, where students are subjected to insurmountable pressure to achieve perfect grades.
Picture a candidate who makes a conscious decision to cheat in their KCPE or KCSE exams. Is he really to blame for daring to do all that is in his power to fit into societal expectations? The truth is that cheating is just a symptom of a society that worships good grades as a measure of success in life.
Academic goals in Kenyan schools are often crafted to prioritize grades over the joy of learning, leaving students with copious amounts of homework and endless tuition classes. This sets the stage for cheating to begin, and it follows them all the way to KCPE, KCSE, and university examinations.
Failure in exams is flaunted as a fatal, irreversible, and catastrophic thing, leading students to craft ways to alleviate this anguish. Translation? They will start cheating in exams long before they sit for KCPE or KCSE.
It's time to ease the pressure on candidates and recognize that all students are victims of impossibly high academic standards. Let us save some of the tight embraces reserved for 'A' students for the 'B', 'C', 'D', and 'E' students as well. The 'Y' students, too, need to be comforted, not condemned.
