KCSE – The Great Divide

Every year when the KCSE results are announced, two kinds of emotions are generated. First, there are those who celebrate for getting good grades in exams, while there are those who cry for getting bad grades. Ideally, the purpose of an exam should be to determine whether a candidate has acquired the necessary knowledge and skills to move on to the next academic level, but this is not the case for the KCSE. This is a high-stakes exam that determines the future of many students. For some, the exam opens limitless doors, while for most, the exams bring their ambitions to a cruel and abrupt end.

One of the things that really stands out about this exam is the great divide in the rankings. The same schools have dominated the rankings since the introduction of 8-4-4. It seems that in order for you to have a good time, you only need to attend certain schools. Some three decades ago, it was not necessary to travel to Nairobi to access the best schools. One could earn a distinction simply by attending local schools. The ranking of the school today is very similar to the main league. You can bet which schools will take the top spots. The only difference might be in the arrangement. The quota system was supposed to level the playing field by allowing village students access to well-equipped schools.

However, this is no longer the case, as many city students now sign up for the exam in towns to get that area’s quota. Therefore, while education is supposed to be an equalizer in any society, in Kenyan society it is quite the opposite. In fact, the system has widened the gap between rich and poor. In ancient times, the rich used to bequeath land and other assets to their children. However, at present, they bequeath education to their children. This has much more purchasing power than the land itself.

Nothing paints this bleak picture more than the difference in the career options of the best students who have attended the national schools and the rural schools. While the A student at Alliance, Starehe, or Mang’u sits his SAT and TOEFL exams to get into the best universities in the US, the poor student in rural areas probably has to make do with a polytechnic education from town. There the paths will clearly never meet and the gap between their children will be even greater.