The government through the Education Ministry has unveiled a new grading system that will be used in the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).

Only two compulsory subjects, Mathematics and one language (English or Kiswahili) will be considered in calculating the mean grade in the new grading system.

Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ezekiel Machogu announced the changes on Monday, September 25, during a meeting with stakeholders at Mtihani House in Nairobi.

“Previously there were five mandatory subjects across three cluster groups – Mathematics, English, Kiswahili, two sciences, and one humanity,” said Machogu.

In addition, examiners will pick five of the best-performed subjects together with the two compulsory subjects to come up with the final grade of a candidate. 

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“In addition to the two mandatory subjects, the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) will consider any other five best-performed subjects,” said Machogu.

Machogu explained that the new reforms in the grading system will increase the number of students qualifying for university, and TVET institutions.

The new grading system benefits the candidates since it takes into account all best-performed subjects in computing final grades.

On the other hand, the previous system had more disadvantages on the part of candidates whose best-performed subjects were not considered if they were not within clusters. 

At the same time, the Education Ministry has disclosed that it has put in place strict security measures for the 2023 national examinations.

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Subsequently, KNEC executive David Njengere noted that most cheating occurs at examination centers, adding that they are working on better ways of garbing exam malpractices.

“It is necessary to limit the number of persons in the examination centre during the examinations,” said Njengere.

He also emphasized the need to deploy officers and invigilators of high integrity in administering the exams to ensure fairness. 

KNEC is preparing to administer the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) for Grade 6 learners, the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), and the KCSE this year.

This year’s KCSE exams have been scheduled to begin on October 23 and will run up to November 24.