Twenty-three students from Silver Bells Academy in Kimumu, Uasin Gishu County, unknowingly sat for fake Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) exams starting on Monday, October 28.
The school, which is not registered with the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC), has been administering these unauthorized exams to its students under the guise of official assessments.
According to Moiben Deputy County Commissioner Kuasi Duncan, the students at Silver Bells Academy were not registered for the official KPSEA exams.
Concerns were raised when a parent noticed delays and inconsistencies with the examination papers.
Duncan explained, “Yesterday, as we were sealing the exam container, a parent flagged this issue, noticing the students had different exam papers.
The school has been falsely claiming to conduct KPSEA exams.”
Further investigation revealed that the school had been using photocopied exam papers, misleading students and parents alike.
Following these revelations, the headteacher and the directors of the school have been arrested, and the case is under investigation by local authorities.
This incident comes on the heels of recent changes announced by KNEC aimed at reducing exam malpractice.
KNEC CEO David Njengere previously outlined new measures for the 2024 exam papers, including the customization of each student’s papers with their names, index numbers, and other personal information.
Under this new protocol, individual candidates will be held responsible for any cheating, instead of penalizing the entire school or exam center.
In related news, Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang clarified that KPSEA assessments are not meant to culminate in certification.
Instead, students receive a progress report, and schools are provided with a summary report reflecting the academic progress of all students.
“This is an assessment, and assessments yield progress reports, not certificates,” Kipsang explained, highlighting the government’s focus on developmental evaluations over formal certification.
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