Allow repeaters to choose when to resit KCSE exam

 

During the release of the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education results on January 9, 2025, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced that those willing to retake the exam will have a chance to do so. 

That was a departure from the norm where those who performed poorly but wished to retry, had to repeat Form Four and pay school fees afresh. Considering the high cost of education in Kenya, not many parents were keen on taking that option due to economic constraints. That, needless to say, denied many learners a fair chance at advancing their education, especially those who fail the exams, or do not sit them for reasons beyond their control, like illness. 

As such, the decision by the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) to allow these candidates to resit their exams was welcome. Indeed, it considered the fact that the 8-4-4 system of education will be phased out in 2027 and unless the remaining cohort is given a fair chance, they will not be able to fit in the new Competency-Based Curriculum adopted a few years ago. 

Knec has asked those who wish to retake the KCSE exam to start registering. The charge for re-sitting KCSE is Sh7,200 and will be available to those who wish to resit specific subjects and improve their grades, those whose results were nullified and those who missed the November - December examination due to illness. 

However, Knec has stated that those who wish to retake the exams will only be allowed to do so in July, not in November alongside those who joined Form Four in January. This decision is restrictive and might be counterproductive. Part of the reason many fail their exams is lack of adequate preparation. The six-month period could be too short for repeaters who got poor KCSE grades last year or earlier to revise and improve their grades. How many students who scored D- last year can get B after sitting exams in July this year?

Why is Knec in a hurry to have such students write their exams? It is only fair to allow these students to choose whether do the exams in July or in November. Emphasis should be on enabling them to perform better, not just giving them a second chance.