The KCPE exam aims to test all children on the knowledge they have gained in primary school.
While this education level exposes the children to an equal learning time duration, the Uwezo report indicates a difference in the rate at which children in different parts of the country learn.
Attending classes and being in contact with the teachers on a regular basis helps children to learn with ease. The report also indicates that children from less privileged families are unable to attend school and progress equally as their counterparts in well-to-do families.
These children are expected to have gained the same knowledge as they sit for the KCPE examination.
Clearly, the different backgrounds of children seem to determine how ready they are for the final examination as opposed to how well they have learned in class. The difference in availability of resources in individual homes same case as with Nairobi versus North Eastern is a clear indication of such.
This explicitly implies that the examination tests for how well resources availability have helped children to prepare for examination rather than how much school has equipped them with knowledge.
While the testing of children’s performance ought to measure the mental capability of the current generation so that the education system can be optimized for the future generation, the overall performance of the primary school children as per the KCPE is deteriorating.
This is a direct consequence of children going to school but not learning. The need for the children to go to school and prepare for KCPE is therefore compromised.
By Malonza Kyalo