KCPE: Top candidates score 453 marks, 32 teachers de-registered over teenage pregnancies

This year’s top candidates in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) scored 453 marks, Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed has announced.

Speaking while releasing the results at the Star of the Sea Primary School in Mombasa on November 19, Amina also said that there was marked improvement in the number of students who scored more than 400 marks from 9,846 in 2017 to 12,273 this year.

A total of 1,060,703 students sat this year’s exam (531,548 male, 529, 155 female) which started on October 30 and concluded on November 1. The marking of the examinations took a record three weeks.

Four candidates had their results cancelled due to examination irregularities.

Out of the 1,060,703 candidates, 12,273 scored more than 400 marks while 228,414 scored between 301 and 400 marks while 2,177 pupils managed 100 marks and below.

CS Amina and Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) CEO George Magoha all vouched for the credibility of the results saying that they did not leek, sentiments which were on Sunday November 18 echoed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

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The issue of teenage pregnancies featured heavily during the release of the results with Teachers Service Comission (CEO) Nancy Macharia confirming that the commission had de-registered 32 teachers in October for engaging in sexual relations with pupils.

A number of pregnant students sat for the exams in hospitals, a situation which has drawn the attention of the government. CS Amina has already ordered her ministry’s Quality Assurance department to probe the issue and report back to her with recommendations.

The TSC CEO warned both private and public schools against enlisting the services of these teachers saying that they had been blacklisted.

“We are taking the examinations very seriously. We have forwarded the names of the teachers found to have taken advantage of our young girls to the security agencies so that action can be taken against them because they cannot be called any other word but pests,” charged Ms. Macharia.

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KNEC CEO George Magoha lamented that parents had failed in taking care of their children due to the high number of pregnancies.

The TSC boss also confirmed that the commission has also de-registered 26 teachers found to have abetted cheating.