TSC To Take Disciplinary Action Against Teachers Involved In Examination Malpractice

MOMBASA,Kenya, Mar, 22 – The Teachers Service Commission CEO Dr Nancy Macharia has cautioned teachers currently serving as center mangers, invigilators or even supervisors from engaging in examination malpractice.

Already during the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) Examination which entered its second week, scores of teachers have been arrested and arraigned for ‘early exposure’ of examination contrary to the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) guidelines.

“Those teachers who are involved when we get the full report from KNEC we shall also take disciplinary action because we can not allow errant teachers to taint the lives of our children,” said Macharia.

The disciplinary action may even result to teachers being deregistered and losing their jobs.

Education Cabinet Secretary Professor George Magoha while in Kisumu on Monday likened teachers and security officers exposing examination to ‘crooks and goons’ saying that they will be daleth with in accordance with the law.

“There is no way anybody under this earth can breach the security of that examination very carelessly like some of the pressmen have been saying, it is not acceptable. We know what has been happening,” said Magoha who further noted that,”One or two will connive with security people there and photograph that paper and put on the internet..that is not leakage. That word is repugnant and it is totally unreasonable. Unless there is another narrative which somebody wants to have with regards to the integrity of the exams.

“It is not leakage but early exposure when exams are picked at six some of these bad people open early than stipulated by KNEC procedures and of course they take pictures and that is what has been happening. These people have been apprehend and since then you haven’t heard of any early exposure,” said Macharia.

This past Friday, 42 students from Dibuoro secondary school in Usonga ward, Alego, Siaya county were arrested for engaging in exam malpractices after being caught in possession of four mobile phones containing photographed images of the Chemistry practical paper as well as This past Thursday’s swahili paper.

The Education CS said that amidst the cases of early exposure, the ministry has resolved to ban mobile phones in exam centers saying that only two, belonging to the center manager and one security personnel will be allowed incase of an emergency.

Others including invigilators and supervisors have been advised to leave their phones a home.

According to KNEC a total of 831,015 candidates will be sitting for the KCSE 2021 Exams.

The examinations are being administered in 10, 413 examination centres.

Meanwhile the TSC boss said that the commission has so far trained 229,000 teachers who will be spread across the upper grades.

“Teachers are ready for the implementation of the CBC and they are well trained and we will continue training them,” she said.

in April a further 60,000 teachers for junior secondary will be trained.

“Every financial year we make a proposal to get a budget for 20,000 teachers because if we get that every year and we currently have a shortage of 100,000 then in five years we will have closed that gap. We get a budget to recruit 5,000 teachers, we are hopeful we shall get more this time, we are competing for limited resources and this is an election year but we are hopeful,” said Macharia.

In bid to further close the gap TSC will also be recruiting teacher interns to complement tutors that are permanent and pensionable.