Author: Hezron Rooy

Gov’t Announces Biometric Registration Date for All Public and Civil Servants Moses Kuria, the Public Service Cabinet Secretary, announced on Wednesday that all government employees will begin biometric registration on a specific date. In an interview with KTN News, Kuria said that the government would start making registration mandatory beginning in May. The CS stated that the Ministry of Health will handle the registration as part of the modifications to the new digital health system. Under the new rules, all Kenyans who want to join the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) must go through biometric registration. The CS announced their intention to conduct…

CS Machogu Issues School Resumption Directive on Flood Risks The Ministry of Education, led by Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, has issued a memo urging regional heads to assess the continuing flooding. The memo, sent to regional directors of education, stated that the findings would impact the Ministry’s decision to allow schools to resume next week. The damage the recent severe rains have caused to schools across the nation is one of the factors being considered. The memo indicated that the Ministry was in the process of collecting data and information to establish the readiness of all Basic Education Institutions for the second…

KUCCPS Opens 10-Hour Window for Tertiary Institution Applications The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) said on Thursday, April 25, that students seeking admission to tertiary institutions had 10 hours to apply.  KUCCPS declared that the government body’s application portal would be closed at the end of today.  This would affect students who took the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) between 2000 and 2023. KUCCPS announced that applicants who received notifications stating that they did not secure any of the courses they selected previously should log in to students.kuccps.net and choose available courses as listed on the portal. Students…

Kenya to Revamp Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) for Labour Market Demands Kenya is modernizing its Technical, Vocational Education and Training system to accommodate the country’s rising industrial and labor market needs, according to Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ezekiel Machogu.  Mr. Machogu stated that TVET is an effective instrument for preparing adolescents for the labor market and providing adults with lifetime learning opportunities, emphasizing the importance of providing a strong training environment for young people. The Cabinet Secretary was addressing the 6th Conference on the Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering, and Technology (PASET) at a Nairobi hotel. Claudette Irere, Chair…

Gov’t to Stop Police Officers from Manning National Examinations On Thursday, April 25, Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang intimated that the government was interested in removing police officers from manning national examinations, as has been customary. During the Annual Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) Symposium on Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) at the College of Insurance in South C, Nairobi County, Kipsang expressed that the directive aimed to empower young learners to express themselves authentically and excel in their assessments. Kipsang presented every indication that the new policy direction would be implemented at this year’s national exams. Kipsang stated that it was the most opportune time to change how they administered…

TSC Adopts Multi-Agency Approach on Mandatory Retooling Program for Teachers The Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) Report provided critical recommendations for retooling teachers, particularly as the country transitions to a competency-based curriculum (CBC), leaving only five classes under the 8-4-4 system. PWPER advocates for a one-year mandatory retooling program to ensure CBC compliance for all pre-service training graduates and for a one-year mandatory internship program following pre-service training before registering in the teaching profession, to attract, develop, and retain effective teachers. TSC has adopted a multi-agency approach to retooling at least 229,000 primary school teachers and 55,125 junior…

KNEC Introduces Grade 9 Exam for Select Schools in June: Key Details The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) stated on Wednesday, April 24, that select schools will conduct Grade 9 exams in June 2024.  The exams served as a part of the preparation for the Grade 9 summative assessments, as explained during the Inaugural Annual Symposium on Competency-Based Assessment at the College of Insurance in Nairobi’s South C. According to KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njengere, the council was preparing instruments for a trial in sampling schools in June. “By October, we will issue sample papers to inform every learner…

How Secondary School Category Influences KCSE Performance — Survey The category of secondary school a learner attends, not their primary school grade, largely determines their success or failure. The Usawa Agenda Secondary School Survey revealed this on Wednesday. According to the survey, the highest-ranked national schools have significant advantages over the lowest-ranked sub-county schools in terms of staffing and finance. Emmanuel Manyasa highlighted that the disproportionate resource allocation based on the category of school one attends impacts their performance in KCSE examinations by more than one secondary school entry mark. Manyasa, the Executive Director of Usawa Agenda, addressed the audience the audience during the report’s launch. …

KNEC Reveals Challenges Encountered in KPSEA Assessment Administration Samuel Ouko, Kenya National Examination Council Senior Examinations Officer, has disclosed many issues that the institution faced while administering the Grade 6 KPSEA tests in 2022 and 2023. Ouko observed that one of Knec’s problems was teachers’ inability to evaluate assessment scores and reports for students and other stakeholders. Ouko mentioned that there was also a high rate of absenteeism among learners during assessment. He addressed Nairobi on Wednesday at the first Annual Symposium on Competency-Based Assessment.  According to Ouko, teachers had inadequate capacity to construct authentic assessment methods. He claims that this…

KNUT Unveils Green Agenda: Officials Promise Tree Planting After Meetings Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) officials have pledged to plant trees at each of their meetings to encourage environmental protection. Malel Langat, Knut’s first National Vice Chair, announced that union officials had agreed to take a proactive role in combating climate change. “We need to have tree planting as part of all our public engagements across our 110 branches,” he went on to say. Langat also stated that they will plant at least 100 trees whenever they convene as teachers. Langat announced this at ACK St. Christopher’s Church in Nakuru during the branch’s Education…