The recent call by MP Jeremiah Kioni for the abolition of the KCPE exams has generated much controversy. The KCPE exams were introduced in 1985 ostensibly to act as a selection tool for high school applicants. Those with the highest grades go on to secure places in national schools. Then there would be those who would have done quite well and who will go to provincial schools. The rest would end up in district, village or harambee schools. Still, most students’ academic ambitions would come to an abrupt end as there are not enough high schools in the country to absorb the standard eight students. While an exam system is supposed to assess a student’s knowledge and skills, it is still a matter of debate whether the KCPE exams meet these goals. In most cases, it serves as a screening tool to weed out students the system doesn’t want. This is certainly a serious danger that the country is getting into.

The first KCPE was passed by Naeem Samnakay, who passed the KCSE again four years later at Alliance High School. He is currently a pediatric surgeon in Australia. However, not many KCPE stars have had such amazing success. Some fell by the wayside and did not appear among the top KCSE students. Could it be that KCPE and KCSE assess completely different abilities and thus the difference in the charts? Do the exams measure critical reasoning, analytical thinking and creativity or is it simply a case of who can regurgitate the most information? These are serious questions that Kenyan educators must answer if the tests are to have any useful purpose. Otherwise, the calls of the abolitionists will be even louder.