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{
    "id": 402390,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/402390/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 20,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) S. W. Chege",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 884,
        "legal_name": "Sabina Wanjiru Chege",
        "slug": "sabina-wanjiru-chege"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I would like to respond to a question that was raised by hon. Kajuju. She raised an issue of some head teachers denying female students who have given birth recently, the opportunity to sit for their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination despite being fully registered. She gave a case of one Charity Kananu, a student at Antwanduru Day Secondary School, who was denied a chance to sit for the KCSE examination by the school principal on the ground that she had given birth two weeks prior to the start of examinations. She said the matter had been reported to the District Education Officer (DEO), Officer Commanding Police Station (OCS) and Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) Tigania East but no action was taken. In her Statement she wanted to find out the measures to be put in place to ensure that Charity Kananu and others like her take the examinations within this period and also the disciplinary action to be taken against the principal of Antwanduru Day Secondary School and any other officer found liable. She also wanted to know the compensatory measures to be availed to Charity Kananu. The response I got from the Ministry was as follows:- The following information gives the circumstances that led to the failure of Charity Kananu to sit the KCSE Examination, 2013. The name of the student and the reference is Charity Kananu, Index No.349113017 of Antwanduru Secondary School, Tigania East District, Meru County. According to the records from the school, the girl left the school on 10th June, 2013 allegedly due to pregnancy and did not show up until 22nd October, 2013, the first day of KCSE. She reported one hour late after the examination had started and was asked to provide satisfactory reasons to the supervisor which she did not. Failure to provide satisfactory reasons was contrary to the 2013 KCSE examination guidelines 321 and 322, copies of which are attached to this report. The supervisor consequently barred her from sitting for the paper; her lateness could have led to commissioning of an examination irregularity as provided for in section 40 of Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) Act. The Ministry is greatly concerned about the examination irregularities and allowing a student to take exam, more than 30 minutes after commencement of an examination, greatly undermines the conduct and compromises the integrity of examination as provided for under Section 10(1)(A) of the Kenya National Examinations Council Act. I am aware that Charity Kananu was expected to sit for the subsequent papers as provided for in the Kenya National Examinations guidelines referred above, however she did not turn up as instructed by the DEO. There is also supplementary information. Basic Education Act, 2013, Section 28(1) guarantees each child free and compulsory basic education. Additionally, Sessional Paper No.1 of 2005, a Policy Framework for Education, Training and Research, Section 419 commits the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to ensure re-entry of girls who drop out of schools due to pregnancy and/or forced marriage. It is noteworthy that despite the girl’s absence The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}