On Saturday, the National Assembly agreed to Basic Education Principal Secretary (PS) Belio Kipsang’s request to reinstate Ksh5.1 billion for the administration of national exams.

PS Kipsang emphasized that without the funds, the administration and invigilation of the national exams would be hindered, leaving the exam dates for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) uncertain.

The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education submitted a proposal to reinstate the funds previously slashed by the Treasury.

“On the allocation for the national examinations invigilation and management, the committee proposed reinstatement of Ksh5.1 billion to ensure that the national examinations scheduled for this year are administered smoothly,” a statement from the National Assembly read in part.

If the committee had not accepted Kipsang’s proposal, over 3 million students would have been affected by the change of dates. This includes 1,264,842 Grade 3 learners, 1,313,913 KPSEA learners, and 965,501 KCSE students.

“The funds are utilized to cater for supervision, invigilation, and examiners’ costs,” Kipsang had earlier requested, adding that the reinstatement aligns with the government’s policy on free and compulsory basic education.

According to the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), the KCSE exams will start on Monday, November 11, with candidates sitting for the English (Functional Skills) paper, and will end on Friday, July 22, with the Physics (Practical) paper. KPSEA exams are scheduled to start on October 25 and end on October 30.

Additionally, the National Assembly committed to ensuring budget allocation for the transition of 46,000 intern teachers to permanent and pensionable terms. According to the Education Departmental Committee, Junior Secondary School teachers under the internship program will be permanently employed this financial year.