Why KCSE, KCPE candidates will no longer use index numbers

Education CS Fred Matiangi has cancelled the individual indexing of students ahead of national exams – a practice that has been effect for numerous years in the Education sector.

Speaking during the release of the KCSE 2016 examination results on Thursday December 29, CS Matiangi said students would be instead issued with a unique registration number to be used from primary school all through to their university level.

“Beginning 2017 we will not register students for their KCSE and KCPE examination numbers instead we will give each student their own registration number to be used from Primary level all through to their universities and colleges,” added Matiangi.

We will get rid of index numbers, have student registration numbers instead for use throughout the education system ~ CS Matiangi #KCSE2016 pic.twitter.com/V3R9OUUunv

— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) December 29, 2016

According to the Education CS, the new system would ensure continuous monitoring of the progress of individual students.

Hinting at further changes in the education sector, Matiang’i – who took charge of the education docket following a cabinet reshuffle in November 2015 – said that his team is keen to change how the sector is run.

“We want to have a new trajectory in our education system and we cannot afford to go back,” said CS Matiangi, adding: “We want to eradicate the silly things we have done in the past, most of which have caused the various challenges we are seeing in our universities right now. To do this, we will need to make painful decision, ones that we will make.”

CS Matiangi said the move to eradicate indexing was part of the reforms that would be seen in the education sector – changes that are aimed at improving the quality of education availed to students.

“To what extent are our children learning in the right way? Do they cover the syllabus adequately? What life-long skills are they gaining over the course of their learning? Are we stressing on assessments too much? These are indeed critical questions that we must keep asking as we interpret the results we are releasing today,” he noted.

The students are now required to send in their index number to the short code- 22252 to get their results.