The results for last month’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams were announced, with 952,000 students sitting the examinations. 5,190 students achieved a mark above 400 (out of 500), down from 7,560 in 2015.
22 per cent of students (206,000) scored between 301 and 400 marks. Nationwide, marks were similar to 2015 across the board, other than in the 400 and above category where top schools seemingly suffered. This is largely because of Dr Matiang’i - the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology’s – anti-cheating initiative, which aggressively curbed instances of foul play.
For the first time in KCPE’s history, there wasn’t a single case of cheating, meaning all candidates were able to receive their results.
We received news of great success in many of our schools. iMlango schools in Kilifi impressed in particular, with their mean KCPE mark nine points higher than the county average (235 vs. 226), and improving eight points when compared to 2015.
Kilifi ranked 40th out of 47 counties in the 2016 KCPE results, so we’re especially encouraged with the iMlango schools’ progress in this county.
Mayowe Primary (Malindi subcounty, Kilifi) is one such school that saw significant improvement from 2015, recording a mean improvement of 33.28. Their score breakdown was very similar to that of the national average (nine out of 38 pupils, or 24 per cent, achieved 301-400 marks), which is a great achievement considering Kilifi placed 40th out of the 47 counties, and that Malindi subcounty suffered acutely during Kilifi’s drought period between August and October.
Happy, a student at Mayowe Primary, managed to score 359 in her KCPE and gained admission to one of the best county schools in Kilifi, Waa Girls Secondary. Her teacher, Mr Nyoka, attributes her performance to her positive perception of education following the inception of iMlango.
We also talked to a couple of the head teachers at schools where some pupils have excelled. Vitale HGM in Makueni had seven pupils (four girls) that scored above 400 in their KCPE. The head teacher said that as an example, Candid (one of the seven pupils) would frequently talk about how access to the computer labs provided a good source of learning material throughout the two years – particularly the online Q-Files encyclopaedia.
These cases all show that despite the marginalised conditions which our students face, academic excellence can be a reality.
Until next time,
The iMlango team