Politics and policy
Education principal secretary Belio Kipsang. He advised school heads
against barring pupils below 14 and 18 years from registering for KCPE
and KCSE exams. PHOTO | FILE
By GERALD ANDAE, gandae@ke.nationmedia.com
In Summary
- Education PS Belio Kipsang says candidates below 14 years will be allowed to register for national exams until 2023.
- The Education ministry raised concern in 2013 over an increase in the number of underage pupils sitting for national exams.
- Out of the over 444,000 candidates who sat for KCSE in 2013, 5,974 (1.33 per cent ) were aged 16 years and below.
Underage pupils will be allowed to register for
national exams until 2023, offering relief to parents who had
difficulties enrolling those below 14 years for the Kenya Certificate of
Primary Education (KCPE) exam.
Education principal secretary Belio Kipsang said that the
rule stating that the minimum entry for a child in Class One is six
years will take effect from 2016 when the government gazettes the Basic
Education Regulations Bill, 2015.
This means that pupils below six years, who are
enrolled in Class One, will be allowed to register for the national
primary education exam in the years to 2023 and KCSE in 2027.
“School heads should not deny underage pupils an
opportunity to sit for exams, at least not now when the law has not been
gazzeted,” said Dr Kipsang.
He said that the rule will apply to those joining Class One next year and will not affect learners already in the school system.
The policy on school enrolment as stipulated in the
Basic Education Act requires that children are enrolled in Standard One
at the age of six years, which means that they sit for KCPE and KCSE
examinations at 14 and 18 years respectively.
The Education ministry raised concern in 2013 over an increase in the number of underage pupils sitting for national exams.
Out of the over 444,000 candidates who sat for KCSE in 2013, 5,974 (1.33 per cent ) were aged 16 years and below.
Dr Kipsang advised school heads against barring pupils below 14 and 18 years from registering for KCPE and KCSE respectively.
He was responding to complaints that some schools
were denying children below 14 years a chance to register for KCPE,
citing Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi’s remarks during the release of
last year’s national exams to the effect that underage children were
being allowed to sit for KCPE and KCSE.
The ministry has drafted the Basic Education
Regulations Bill, 2015, which puts the minimum entry age in Class One
at six years.
Ngilu Kariuki, director for the legal division in
the Education ministry, said the regulations will not apply to children
already in primary school.
She, however, said the law will apply to children who will join Class One in 2016.
She, however, said the law will apply to children who will join Class One in 2016.
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