Dear pupils, just to let you know KCPE exam is no more as CATS take over
Continuous assessment tests will be used next year to promote Standard Eight pupils to Form One, Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development director Julius Jwan says.
The continuous assessment of pupils’ performance instead of subjecting them to the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations, which ended last week Thursday, has been piloted and proven workable, Dr Jwan said.
“We plan to phase out the rigorous national examinations for primary school learners next year. The new curriculum will start when schools open for the first term,” he said.
The director said KICD has been piloting the project and “so far we have moved on well with the centres we chose for the initial implementation.”
NEW CURRICULUM
Dr Jwan said the new curriculum will identify capabilities of learners through continuous assessments which will guide final evaluation of the pupil.
“There will be reviews at various levels of the students’ academic calendar,” he said.
The KICD boss said the new curriculum emphasises on continuous assessment tests instead of learners being subjected to a single final year examination.
Dr Jwan said the new education curriculum aims at ensuring that there is 100 per cent transition of learners from primary to high school.
The new curriculum, he noted is aimed at promoting learners’ skills more than knowledge.
EXPAND SECONDARY SCHOOLS
However, Dr Juan said the implementation will work fully once the Ministry of Education expands secondary schools to accommodate a high number of Form One students as the new system of examining learners is rolled out.
He spoke when he supervised the end of the KCPE exam in Nyamira and Kisii counties.
Once the curriculum starts working, Dr Jwan said, drilling of candidates to pass end year national examinations will be a thing of the past.
This, he noted, will push out cartels who had largely invested in books used to drill learners on examinations.
The director said KICD has been having problems with set books cartels who feel threatened once the new curriculum is rolled out.