KUPPET demands for Schools’ to be re-opened by June and proposes new 2020 KCSE & 2020 KCPE national exam dates
In Summary
After their plea to have 2020 KCSE and KCPE national exams postponed fell on deaf ears, KUPPET has come up with two other proposals regarding syllabus coverage, schools’ re-opening dates, and new examination dates for 2020 KCSE and KCPE national exams.
KUPPET chair Omboko Milemba has jumped the bandwagon to support KESSHA’s proposal that all schools must re-open by June if the national exams have to be undertaken on time.
Besides, KUPPET feels that the e-lessons being broadcast by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, KICD are not sufficient enough to prepare candidates for the national tests.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers, KUPPET has called for the re-opening of all schools by June, 2020 to enable the 2020 KCSE and KCPE exams to be done on time.
In its new proposal, the union has ruled-out the e-learning platform as a way of completing the syllabus in time saying that it will give some learners a more competitive edge than others.
“We as the union had proposed that we postpone the exams. But postponing exams is not just excitement from the union, but one of the drastic measures that can be taken by the union. That is a very drastic measure but we may use it as our last wild card,” said Milemba.
He further discredited online learning as an effective platform for syllabus coverage.
“The truth is that online learning guided by parents is neither here nor there. Rule out that. We cannot count that as a curriculum completion and syllabus coverage, so all learners need to resume school and complete the syllabus,” added Milemba.
He said that if learners resumed school by the end of May or early June then national exams will be done on time.
School holidays
“We lost the month of March, and we are likely to lose the month of May, April as a holiday. That means that we can recover. During the month of August, we make the holiday short and do away with the half term to cover the month of March. November can be used to recover the month of May so that 2020 KCSE and KCPE can be done in December 2020, then we shall be in business.”
New 2020 KCSE & KCPE exam dates
Milemba proposed that 2020 KCSE and KCPE be done in December 2020 to maintain the school calendar.
He said that if the exams were to be done in December 2020, the only thing that will be affected is 2021 form one admission dates but the school calendar will be retained.
He cautioned against the wild imaginations of CS Education Professor George Magoha that learners have been enjoying online learning.
“I think he needs to borrow from the Ministry of Health. An Easy Minister who can consult other players and make decisions without holding it to himself that he is the one to give what is right or wrong” cautioned Milemba.