This archive report was first published on 7 November 2019.
On November 7, 2019, the Kisumu Central National Government Constituency Development Fund partnered with the Standard Group Plc to supply 10,000 copies of The Standard to 41 primary and secondary schools in Kisumu. This initiative aimed to improve the quality of education by providing students with revision examination papers before the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.
Students received the newspapers, which contained revision examination papers, days before the exams kicked off. This move was in line with the Standard Group’s Newspaper in Education (NIE) programme, which aims to provide educational resources to students.
According to Kisumu Day principal Daniel Mwaturo, the revision examination papers will go a long way in helping students answer exam questions. He also noted that the revision papers will expose students to exam questions, which is vital in their studies. Mwaturo added that most schools lack proper examiners who can assist students in understanding what to expect in the exams.
“We used to have mocks that were scrapped so the revision papers offer tests to students in wide areas and help them interact with exam questions,” Mwaturo said. He also expressed hope that the initiative would be embraced by all institutions.
At Arina Primary School, 185 students sat for KCPE. Mary Anyango, a teacher at the school, regretted that despite the big number of students, the quality of revision materials has always been a problem. She praised the Newspaper in Education programme for capturing everything as it is.
Victoria Primary School headteacher Edward Omala echoed Anyango’s sentiments, saying pupils need revision materials ahead of exams. He added that the revision papers in The Standard helped pupils have a feel of examination questions.
The Kisumu Central Constituency Development Fund management said the initiative will go a long way in boosting education standards in the region. They also announced plans to roll out more programmes to boost the quality of education.
