Clear Grade Three exam ado, CS tells the examiner
Education Cabinet secretary, George Magoha yesterday directed Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) to clear the controversy surrounding Grade Three assessment.
While saying there will be no examinations at Grade Three, Magoha said Knec must explain away the anxiety consuming Kenyans over the matter in simpler terms ‘instead of using a scientific paper’.
“I have told Knec to stop using too much grammar while explaining this subject, use simple language that people will understand,” he said.
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The CS made the remarks at Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) during the first pre-conference themed ‘Towards Education Reforms, Monitoring Learner Progress and Achievement in the CBC context’.
Several other pre-conferences will be held next week with different themes, in the build-up to the National Conference on CBC to be held on August 16.
“To avoid people using it to cause problems, can we answer this assessment question before we move forward.
How come the experts are unable to explain this? I am charging Knec to be the facilitator not a body, you must tell the people so that they feel comfortable,” Magoha added.
The CS further said the task force on curriculum implementation is working to urgently deal with the matter of assessment so that when the designs are accepted by stakeholders, decisions will then be made on whether there will be a common examination.
“At Grade Six is not where the pressure is, the pressure is in Grade Three. We must show the kind of assessment we are talking about so that everybody understands,” he said.
Not clear
Knec chair Dr John Onsati admitted that the information that there will be no Grade Three assessment has not been received clearly, even among some leaders.
He challenged stakeholders to send clear message that Knec will just be ascertaining that a child’s progress is checked at certain stages for appropriate interventions.
“There is a problem, the message has not clearly reached even some teachers. I remember in one of the primary schools a head teacher said they were told there is an exam in Grade Three and they should register children, this means the message has not been communicated properly,” he said.
Meanwhile, teacher training sessions will resume next week in 42 training centres, towards equipping tutors with skills for implementing Grade Four, which is to be rolled out next year.
