Ministry of Education DIRECTS TSC to Interdict Teachers
The Ministry of Education has issued a warning to schools about the illegal imposition of remedial lessons. The Principal Secretary of Basic Education, Belio Kipsang, expressed his worry that certain school administrators continue to charge parents for remedial teaching sessions offered by instructors.
Kipsang questioned the need for additional hours disguised as remedial instruction, arguing that the hours currently specified by the government for normal teaching should be sufficient for imparting the essential skills, competencies, and knowledge for tests. He stressed that remedial education and accompanying costs imposed an excessive strain on parents, undermining the reputation of such programs.
Kipsang made these statements on September 19 at Shimo La Tewa Secondary School in Mombasa, when he met with field education authorities and national government administration officers from the Coast Region. He also requested that the instructors Service Commission (TSC) take disciplinary action against instructors who violate Ministry standards.
Kipsang’s warning coincided with the start of national test preparations in primary and secondary schools. The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) tests were expected to begin on October 30, with the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams beginning on November 3 and ending on November 24.
The Ministry promised to put measures in place to ensure the credibility of national tests and urged educators to conduct this year’s exams honestly in order to reclaim society’s faith. Kipsang emphasized the need of preventing malpractices in order to retain the examinations’ integrity, validity, and trustworthiness.
Furthermore, the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) released a statement last week barring contracted professionals, examiners, and assessors from engaging in activities that could jeopardize their roles. This action, intended to reduce cheating, stressed the necessity of respecting the Oath of Secrecy that these individuals sign, which prohibits them from participating in activities that could lead to conflicts of interest or disclosing their identity as a KNEC examiner/assessor.
To ensure the integrity of the test process, the Council asked all contracted professionals to desist from delivering workshops in schools.
