Teachers to earn Sh4.2 billion national exams cash

Meru School candidates wait for Mathematics paper on November 6, 2017. The 2018 KCPE examination will start on October 30, while KCSE test will start on October 22 with practical tests. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • KCPE examination will start on October 30 after rehearsals on October 29, while KCSE written examination will start on November 5.
  • 10,078 examination centre managers, who are secondary school principals, will be paid Sh500 a day for 18 days. This translates to Sh90.7 million.

  • Invigilators. who are 37,978, will be paid between Sh580 and Sh460 a day for 18 days.

Details of how Sh4.2 billion set aside for national examinations, which start with practicals on Monday, will be spent can now be revealed.

Close to Sh1 billion will be used to pay 264,446 field officers, who include centre managers, supervisors, invigilators, security agents and drivers while Sh2 billion will go to markers.

The rest is expected to be used for other logistical needs, such as hiring choppers and fuelling vehicles as well as paying allowances to various government officers involved in monitoring the examinations.

On Tuesday last week, Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed told the National Assembly’s Education Committee that Sh3.3 billion was to be released for the exams by Friday last week.

NOT REACHED

“By the end of the examination process, all the costs related to this process will have been settled,” said Ms Mohamed.

However, on Tuesday, the CS could not confirm if the Sh3 billion had already been released as promised, as she could not be reached.

The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination will start on October 30 after rehearsals on October 29 while the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) written examination will start on November 5.

KCSE practicals, French (oral and Braille), German (oral), Arabic (oral), Kenyan sign language (practical signing skills), Music (practical) and Home Science (foods and nutrition) will start on October 22.

SECURITY PERSONNEL

According to the details, 10,078 examination centre managers, who are secondary school principals, will be paid Sh500 a day for 18 days. This translates to Sh90.7 million.

The 10,460 supervisors will be paid between Sh695 and Sh630 a day for 18 days. Those in Nairobi and Mombasa will get the highest, while those in other regions will get the lowest.

In total, supervisors will earn more than Sh118.6 million.

Invigilators. who are 37,978, will be paid between Sh580 and Sh460 a day for 18 days. Those in Nairobi and Mombasa will get Sh580 while those in other regions will get Sh460. It will cost Sh314.5 million in total.

Security personnel will be paid Sh420 a day.

20,156 OFFICERS

There will be 20,156 such officers and they will work for 18 days which translates to Sh144 million.

Drivers will be 5,039 and each will get Sh405 for 18 days which adds up to Sh36.7 million.

In total, payment to field officers for KCSE examinations will be Sh705 million.

In the KCPE examination, 27,161 centre managers will be paid Sh500 a day for three days which means that they will take home Sh40.7 million.

EMERGENCY

A total of 27,354 supervisors will be paid a flat rate of Sh2,485 which will be Sh68 million, 65,107 invigilators will get Sh1,615 which totals to Sh105.1 million, and Sh1,050 will be paid to 54,322 security personnel amounting to Sh57 million. Some 6,791 drivers will get Sh1,040 totalling to Sh7.1 million.

A total of Sh237.2 million will be used in administration of the three-day KCPE examination.

At least five choppers have also been provided to deliver examination materials in case of an emergency. Armoured vehicles are also available in areas such as Lamu and North Eastern region.

459 SUB-COUNTIES

On Monday, Ms Mohamed said 224 security officers will escort the examination materials from the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) warehouse in Nairobi to the examination storage facilities in the sub-counties.

The materials will be dispatched twice weekly from Nairobi to the 459 sub-counties.

Knec has also set up command and coordination centres and the ICT ministry has also provided 300 ICT officers to support the examination process.

MORE BOYS

Others who will be involved in the exercise are officers from Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, the Teachers Service Commission, Knec, Education officials, Interior and National Coordination officials, Parents Associations, and teachers union leaders.

At the same time, more boys will sit the examinations this year compared to girls, a report presented to the House Education Committee indicates. A total of 531,548 boys will write the KCPE exam compared to 529,155 girls. The 1,060,703 candidates will sit their examinations in 27,161 examination centres across the country.

SPECIAL NEEDS

The report further said 341,089 boys will sit the KCSE exam compared to 323,498 girls.

In total, the 664,585 candidates will write their examination in 10,077 centres across the country.

The registration of candidates for the 2018 KCPE and KCSE examinations took place between January 15 and March 7 this year.

A total of 2,481 and 1,511 candidates with special needs registered for the examinations.