Final KCPE candidates to mark the end of the 8-4-4 period.
Final KCPE candidates to mark the end of the 8-4-4 period.
When the final cohort takes the Kenya Certificate for Primary Education Examinations (KCPE) after 38 years, the exams will finally come to an end.
Starting on Monday, 1,415, 315 candidates will take the final KCPE exam as the nearly 40-year-old 8-4-4 system is phased away.
The Competency Based Curriculum, which uses a 2-6-6-3 framework, is taking the place of the 8-4-4 curriculum in the ministry.
The government supports the system since it is the most reliable means of giving students the necessary skills.
The exam-based, competitive 8-4-4 system placed a great deal of pressure on students to do well.
Maria Goretti Nyariki, who took the inaugural exam in 1985, was interviewed by The Star.
According to Nyariki, there was less pressure on the exam than there had been in previous years.
She believes that the pressure to achieve at a high level has caused results to become diluted.
“In general, exams have been simplified. You have put a lot of effort into your work, as seen by the days when you received an A, B, or other grade. However, because to widespread corruption and exam theft these days, authenticity is lacking.
The pressure to perform well dilutes the validity of the examinations, according to Nyariki.
Since the school and parents were so interested in student achievement, she believes that the pressure to perform also contributed to the commercialization of tests.
“So the learner is pushed and pressured to meet the interests of other people,” she stated.
Nyariki stated that even if CBC has its own difficulties and many people are unsure if it would truly be enough, a lot of resources are required to put it into practice for it to be effective.
She thinks that because of the extensive exposure provided by CBC, students will be able to choose their career choice early on.
“This generation is under too much strain. even how many books there are. To be honest, we did not have nearly as many books as we do lately. We were never given homework on holidays. The learner is under too much strain,” the speaker stated.
Students will take their first national exam in Grade 6 going forward as the KCPE is phased away.
The Kenya Primary School Education Assessment, which took the place of the KCPE exam, will not be used to decide whether a student moves on to the junior secondary school for grade 7.
KEPSEA will only be used as a tracking tool for the student’s progress.
The first cohort to take the KEPSEA test did so in conjunction with the KCPE last year.
The situation remains the same this year, with 1,282,574 individuals attempting to pass the KEPSEA exam in Grade 6.
The KCPE and KPSEA exams run from Monday, October 30, to Wednesday, November 1.
For their first national exam, students will no longer take math, English, Kiswahili, science, social studies, or religious studies.
Math, English, Kiswahili, and Integrated Science (I.S.), which includes Home Science, Agriculture, Science and Technology, and Physical Health, are the twelve topics in which students are tested under KEPSEA.
They are also tested in Social Studies, Music, Art and Craft, and Religious Education under the umbrella of Creative and Social Sciences (C.A.S.S).
Despite their seeming abundance, the twelve subjects have been combined into five regions for testing.
Just 40% of the student’s final grade will come from the KEPSEA exam; the remaining 60% will come from continuous assessment examinations that are given in the classroom in Grades 4, 5, and 6.
Final KCPE candidates to mark the end of the 8-4-4 period.
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