Kenya’s Students Could Miss KNEC Final Examinations After Gov’t Cuts Funding
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has warned that the Kenya National Examinations Council may fail to conduct exams this year due to a lack of funding.
Speaking on Wednesday, KUPPET stated that KNEC had yet to receive any government funding, despite the fact that the exams were three months away.
KUPPET On Budget Cut:
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) July 10, 2024
KUPPET raises alarm over budget cuts by the Treasury
Treasury removed examination and invigilation funds
Nthurima: KNEC at the moment has zero budget#CitizenBriefs @Wycliffeorandi pic.twitter.com/h0WHHocgjK
According to union officials, KNEC currently has no budgetary allocation from the National Treasury.
Further supporting the claims, media reports confirmed that a circular dated July 5 from Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u identified at least 24 areas that will be affected by budget cuts.
Examination and invigilation fees were reduced by 100% in the listed areas.
As a result, KUPPET warned that KNEC may decide to cancel the exams this year.
Furthermore, KUPPET Chair Omboko Milemba stated that the examination body may choose to charge parents additional fees to cover exam costs.
“It means KNEC has two alternatives, either KNEC will not administer exams because they don’t have the budget, it is our business to flag that, and number two to charge the parents as they used to before,” stated Omboko Milemba Chair KUPPET.
The Union also expressed concern that the education sector was in limbo when it came to invigilating national exams if they were held due to funding issues.
According to Moses Nthurima, the Union’s Secretary General, the government had not provided clarity on the next steps following the implementation of the austerity measures.
“I don’t know whether the government wants to privatise the administration of exams or if they are going to administer it online,” added Nthurima.
Teachers continue to raise concerns about the state of Kenya’s austerity measures, citing that the education sector should remain unshaken by the budget cuts.
Kenya’s Students Could Miss KNEC Final Examinations After Gov’t Cuts Funding
