BY KORIR JUMA,NAIROBI,18TH SEPT 2017-The national exams calendar will not be interfered with should the 17th of October date slated for a repeat presidential poll be altered.This is according to Education CS Fred Matiangi.
Addressing the press after a closed-door consultative meeting with the education sector stakeholders, on Monday ,Matiangi exuded confidence that they have made elaborate plans to ensure that candidates sit for their exams in a conducive environment.
Asked whether the political uncertainty currently being experienced in the country might affect the examination, he committed that the ministry has made elaborate plans in case of any eventuality.
“We are proactive, we have to always plan with a measure of consciousness of the environment in which we are working in. Should the election date change, we have made plans to conduct our examinations,” he added.
According to the KNEC calendar, Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) is scheduled to begin on October 30, 2017, ending on November 3, 2017, while the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) is scheduled to run from November 6 – 30, 2017.
“We are ready to conduct the exams. We are better prepared this year than last year,” Matiangi emphasized.
“The examinations are very important to our children who are not preparing to vote but to sit for examinations. The dates as set out and outlined should not be altered for whatsoever reason,” he affirmed.
Sossion who was invited by Matiangi to speak to the media also cautioned against the trend he called “Politicization of education.”
“For any nation, children come first,” he said adding that “examinations and school programs should not be politicized.”
The meeting was attended by key education sector leaders including KNEC Chairman George Magoha, Principal Secretary of Education (PS), Dr Belio Kipsang among others.
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