NAIROBI, November 10 – Over 600,000 pupils from primary schools across the country on Monday went through rehearsals ahead of the Kenya Certificate of Primary School Education examinations slated to begin on Tuesday.
A spot check by Capital News revealed that the pupils were exhibiting a high degree of confidence in various schools visited.
At Milimani Primary School, students felt that they were prepared to face the exams over the next three days.
“They are just exams. I find them as normal exams but they are going to determine where we are going to go in the future,” Mercy Odhiambo, a pupil at the school said.
“This is the beginning of one entry,” Linda Kamau, another pupil at the same school said.
The Principal of the school Charles Kado also expressed confidence that the candidates would perform well.
“As a school I believe that they are good performers and I wish we will produce best performer in the country,” Mr Kado said. “Milimani lets go! I take this opportunity to wish them well and wish all the schools the best in this exam.”
Two hundred and twenty eight internally displaced pupils are among those who will write the exams, according to statistics published by the Kenya National Examination Council on its website,
Meanwhile, at Olympic Primary School, Wilson Aluda a teacher who supervised the rehearsal said that the school would continue in its streak of good performance.
“Our aim is to encourage the students do their exams well. This is a serious school and we expect a good performance,” Mr Aluda stated.
He pointed out that despite bad weather conditions, the students were all in good spirits.
“Although it was raining in the morning, with the kind of mood the children are in, it is a sign that they are well prepared for the exams tomorrow (Tuesday),” he said.
At Kileleshwa Primary School, the head teacher Agnes Wambui said that they had covered the entire syllabus extensively.
“I have 33 children this year who are sitting the KCPE exams. We have prepared the children very well and had covered the syllabus sometimes in July,” Mrs Wambui said. “The children are doing quite well.”
The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) said that it would use over Sh100 million for security officers to minimise incidences of irregularities during the examinations.
Other initiatives by KNEC include the transportation of papers three days in advance instead of the previous period of two weeks.
Primary Education is the first phase of the national 8:4:4 system of education.
The course lasts eight years and ensures the provision of a more functional and practical education that largely meets the needs of the majority of the children who terminate their formal education at the end of standard eight.
It also caters for those wishing to join secondary schools. Primary Education is universal and free in Kenya. The age range is 6-14 years.
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