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The new rules spelt out by the Education Cabinet Secretary to curb cheating in national examinations signal the government’s determination to restore credibility in the country’s education system. For the past few years, the country has been grappling with rising cases of examination cheating, which reached ridiculous levels last year to the point where the public lost faith in the sanctity of the exams as schools, candidates, parents, examiners, and education and security officers were all roped into the cheating loop. More bold action must be taken to restore the credibility of the exams.

The school calendar has been reorganised and far-reaching changes introduced in the administration of national examinations to curb cheating. The Education CS on Wednesday banned all social activities in the third term — including prayer days, visiting, half term breaks, sports, prize-giving ceremonies and annual general meetings — to cut contact between candidates and outsiders. He also shortened the period for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams from six weeks to four and put head teachers directly in charge of the tests in their respective schools.

The Ministry of Education is working on new guidelines that will ensure that the integrity of examination certificates is restored. The guidelines set to be tabled soon in Parliament will have stiffer penalties on responsibilities of all those involved in examination process. Sweeping changes have been done at the Kenya National Examinations Council with a view of restoring examinations integrity. Last month, the government disbanded the Kenya National Examinations Council board over last year’s national exams cheating scandal.

Amid allegations of massive cheating in university exams and the existence of rogue colleges and universities, the Commission for University Education has been criticised for not having ‘bite’ in regulating the higher education sector. But this month the commission rose from the shadows, ordering 10 university campuses to close in what could be a turning point in salvaging the country’s higher education system. Now the regulator has closed 10 out of 13 campuses of Kisii University, one of Kenya’s fastest growing public universities, potentially threatening the institution’s existence.

The Kenya National Examination Council has warned KCSE candidates and their parents against buying a fake Chemistry exam paper being circulated. The Council will intercept fake papers and take legal action against individuals found circulating and selling them.

A TV exposé last week unearthed a certificate and diploma mill at one of Kenya’s leading aviation colleges. It also uncovered widespread rot in higher education institutions, many of which engage in academic malpractices and some of which are dishing out qualifications without requiring a person to step into a classroom or study.

Educationists in Nairobi believe many would-be graduates are seeking essay and thesis writing services, undermining quality in higher education institutions. Such fraudulent academic businesses are said to be mushrooming around universities. While they are not a new phenomenon, they are growing along with the number of students in universities.

Malindi's deputy District Education Officer has asked head teachers to ensure that students complete the syllabus in time. He said failure by teachers to complete the syllabus early hurts the students' performance in national exams. She said completing the syllabus in time will encourage good performance and curb any irregularities in the exam.

Universities in two East African countries, Kenya and Tanzania, have come under fire for prolifically awarding honorary degrees – in some cases allegedly for money and in others in return for influence.

People in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have been found buying fake degrees of all sorts from diploma mills and other bogus universities. Those universities have no physical existence and operate only through websites. Most diploma mills are operating from Britain or United States where academic standards are presumed to be very high. Recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigations compiled a list of over 10,000 persons who obtained fake degrees from diploma mills in USA. A significant number of them are from South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. Currently, there are about 80 notorious diploma mills that operate from the United States and the UK.