Teachers To Invigilate KNEC Exams For Free. According to education stakeholders, the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec)’s management of national exams faces a significant crisis due to recent budget cuts.
These cuts could cause significant difficulties and anxiety for hundreds of thousands of candidates who will be taking tests in October and November, just three months away.
The National Treasury has issued guidelines for
Ministries
Departments
Agencies (MDAs)
the Judiciary
Parliament
Constitutional Commissions
Independent Offices
This to review their revenue and expenditure estimates for the Financial Year 2024/25.
In a circular dated July 5, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u outlined at least 24 areas affected by budget cuts, including a 100 percent cut for examination and invigilation fees.
Teachers To Invigilate KNEC Exams For Free.
Prof. Ndung’u explained that the Financial Year 2024/25 budget was supposed to be funded through additional revenue measures amounting to Sh344.3 billion as detailed in the Finance Bill 2024, which President William Ruto rejected last month.
This created a financing gap of a similar amount, necessitating a revision of the budget estimates for FY 2024/25.
These changes will be formalized in the FY 2024/25 Supplementary Estimates No.
1.Impact on Knec
Knec had been allocated Sh5 billion as an exam waiver fee in the rejected Finance Bill.
The latest cuts have shocked many education stakeholders, as Knec has been operating on significant budget deficits despite presenting their annual program of activities to the National Assembly.
Stakeholders expected the council to start receiving funds at the beginning of this month.
One expert, who chose to remain anonymous, noted that public documents show Knec has been receiving a flat rate of Sh5 billion for exams every financial year, despite a steady rise in the number of candidates and other critical requirements.
The expert questioned why the government does not use the per capita funding principle for exam funding, as it does in the education sector.
Since 2016, the government has been paying examination fees for all candidates enrolled in public and private schools to ensure no learner misses national examinations.
For instance, Knec announced at the start of this year’s KCSE registration that the government would pay exam fees for all students except those re-sitting, non-Kenyans, and private candidates registering in sub-county private examination centers.
Examination Fees Breakdown
Regular and Private Candidates
Seven subjects: Sh5,000
Eight subjects: Sh5,400
Nine subjects: Sh5,800
–KPSEA: Sh1,800
Repeating Exam
One subject: Sh3,100
Nine subjects: Sh6,300
KCSE Qualifying Test Registration
Sh3,000 per candidate
Additional Concerns
Another unidentified expert voiced concern regarding the budget cuts, suggesting that the government is causing an emergency and excessive anxiety.
According to the expert, such a communication ought to have been issued at the beginning of the year. Separately, Hesbon Otieno, Deputy Secretary General of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), expressed concern that the cuts will have a significant impact on many parents and students, possibly causing some students to miss the national exams.
Otieno accentuated that returning the weight of test expenses to guardians will have extreme outcomes, as many guardians may not be able to manage the cost of it.
Teachers To Invigilate KNEC Exams For Free.