Nyeri: The Government has put all measures in place to ensure this year's national examinations run smoothly, Central Region Education Director Sabina Aroni has assured. Sabina also says the security, invigilation, and administration of the tests for those sitting for their final exams and those who will be transiting to other grades have also been put in place. 'First thing, I appreciate all education stakeholders for the great support they have given us, especially in preparing the 2025 candidates for assessment and examination. I wish to assure stakeholders that all necessary arrangements have been made to enable candidates undertake assessment and examination without any hitch,' she said.
According to Kenya News Agency, at least 3,424,836 candidates will be sitting for various national tests across the country starting October 27 this year. Out of this number, 996,078 will be sitting for the Kenya Certificate for Secondary Education (KCSE), 1,298,089 for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), and 1,130,669 will be writing the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA). In Nyeri, a total of 20,313 candidates will be writing their KCSE exams in 229 evaluation centers. Out of this number, 10,055 are male candidates while 10,258 are female. This number is 199 less than the 20,432 who sat their KCSE in 2024.
The exams began on October 21 when the candidates sat the elective papers in French, German, Kenya Sign Language (practical skills), Arabic, Music, and Home Science. The common papers are set to commence on November 3 with English functional and Chemistry Paper 1, and will end November 21 when the candidates will work on the Physics practical. In Central Region, 122,757 candidates will be sitting for KCSE exams with 59,383 being males while the rest are females. Additionally, a total of 112,344 learners will be sitting for KJSEA, while 116,953 will be writing their KPSEA papers.
The exam, which will be administered for the first time, will cover languages, mathematics and science, humanities and social sciences, and applied and creative subjects. The assessment will commence on October 27 and end on November 3. The Regional Director has called for cooperation from all stakeholders involved in the administration of the exams in order to ensure their success. 'I appeal to the candidates and all individuals involved in management and administration of the assessment and examination to avoid any act likely to compromise the integrity of the process. I wish the candidates success,'' she added.
In September this year, Nyeri County Director of Education John Thiringi had disclosed to KNA that the Government had put all necessary measures in place to ensure there was smooth administration of all the evaluation tests. He similarly highlighted that there was a slight reduction in the number of candidates sitting for KCSE this year compared to last year. 'The number of candidates is slightly lower than last year but in terms of gender balance, we shall have almost equal numbers of males and females writing this year's KCSE,' said Thiringi.
Thiringi informed KNA that the Ministry had also put in place all the necessary measures to ensure a smooth administration of the three national assessments under the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC). 'This is the time we involve all the stakeholders. We will have the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment for the learners with special needs, Grade 6 who are going to do their assessment and Grade 9 are going to do formative evaluation in preparation for placement in senior school,' he said. Under KILEA the county will assess 77 candidates who include 28 girls and 49 boys. Another 15,163 Grade 6 learners in the county are expected to write their KPSEA to facilitate their transition to Junior Secondary School. Thiringi said that 15,816 Grade 9 learners who will form the first cohort to join Senior School will undertake the summative national assessment, Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) in Nyeri.