About 178 adults comprising 96 men and 82 women under the Adulthood and Continuing Education Program are among the 30,421 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates who sat for their national exam in Kajiado County today amid concerns that the end of the 8-4-4 education system will lock out adult learners under the program.
The men and women drawn from the pastoralist community are adults who missed a chance to access education due to traditional cultural practices.
For women, early marriages after undergoing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) have been cited to have been the major stumbling block denying them access to education.
For men, moranism and lack of emphasis on education are cited as the challenge blocking them from accessing education.
According to the Adulthood and Continuing Education officer in charge Mercy Njiriri, being the last KCPE examinations under the 8-4-4 system, adults who are yet to do their KCPE examinations have been left in limbo.
“We are waiting for direction from the Ministry of Education on the enrolled adult learners who were yet to be candidates. The adult learners have been taught under the 8-4-4 curriculum and thus do not fit the CBC examination system,” Njiriri told K24 Digital.
28,874 Grade six learners are also sitting for their KPSEA examinations.
Kajiado County Commissioner Jude Wesonga while overseeing the collection of examination materials in Kajiado this morning, assured learners and parents that the exercise is being conducted in a credible manner to ensure that any malpractice is tamed.
Wesonga also noted that all schools listed have managed to pick examination materials in their respective stations as required.
“The examinations have kicked off without any reported hitches and we are looking forward to a smooth exercise,” Wesonga said.
142 males and 169 females under the Kajiado Adulthood Education Program are also set to sit for this year’s KCSE examinations.
