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Kenya education officials worried over low pass rates

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Education officials in Kenya are scratching their heads over the readiness of the Primary School transitional class to succeed in the upcoming national examinations following mass failure in school-based exams conducted six months after schools reopened. 

According to a report by the National Examinations Council, the majority of the learners performed below average.  

Standard eight candidates are due to sit for their national examinations in March this year.  

They resumed learning in October last year, six months after the government closed schools to control the spread of COVID-19.  

The Council says it is concerned about mass failure in languages, which is key to educational outcomes.   

The results also expose the inequalities in the country’s education system with private schools performing better than public schools in all subjects.  

This is likely due to better ICT infrastructure which accorded them a chance to attend remote learning 

The mass failure was also witnessed in far flung areas of the country where access to electricity and access to ICT infrastructure is poor; and poverty levels in these areas are also very high. 

According to Reuters tracker, Kenya’s COVID-19 cases began surging in October and peaked in November at the relatively low rate of 972 cases per day. 

The county currently has 101 009 confirmed cases and 1 766 people have succumbed to the virus.  

In the video below, SABC News Correspondent Sarah Kimani reported on the reopening of schools in October last year and measures put into place for the safety of learners and staff: 

 

    

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