In a bid to address the persistent controversies surrounding national exams, Nominated Senator Miraj Abdillahi from the Coast region is pushing for marked answer sheets to be returned to students after evaluation. Abdillahi believes that this practice would not only foster transparency but also provide insight into areas where students may need improvement.
Speaking to the Star, Abdillahi emphasized the need to examine the recurring pattern of poor results, particularly among students from the Coast region. The senator expressed concern over the consistent underperformance of students in the final national exams, highlighting her own experience of receiving lower marks than expected in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) despite consistent high scores in school.
Abdillahi underscored the need for a thorough debate on the matter, stating that it’s time for Coast leaders to address the discrepancies in exam results. She questioned the plausibility of entire schools experiencing a decline in performance over a short period, pointing out specific cases, such as Shika Adabu High School, which posted a mean grade of D+ in the 2023 KCSE exam.
The senator called for accountability from the Ministry of Education, urging an explanation for the grades given to schools in the region. She raised concerns about the quality of teachers assigned to public schools compared to private institutions, emphasizing the need for clarity on the criteria for teacher placements.
Abdillahi dismissed common excuses attributing poor performance to issues like the drug menace and early pregnancies, stating that similar challenges exist in other regions where students still excel. She challenged the narrative that Coast residents’ love for miraa adversely affects education outcomes, citing personal experiences of successful academic performance despite such influences.
The senator refuted claims of poor parenting in the region as the sole cause of academic underachievement and proposed a potential overhaul of teachers in the Coast region to address the situation. Abdillahi’s call for transparency in the evaluation process aims to unravel the complexities surrounding educational disparities and encourage a more comprehensive examination of factors influencing academic outcomes in the Coast region. As the debate unfolds, it remains to be seen whether this push for transparency will lead to significant changes in the education system.