KCSE 2025 Agriculture project Exams: Schools raise concerns as Knec offers help

KCSE 2025 Agriculture project Exams: Schools raise concerns as Knec offers help

Several Schools presenting candidates for the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education, KCSE, Exams in Agriculture project have raised concerns about the structure of the Paper 3 Exams.

Top on the Schools’ concerns is the requirement by Knec for the candidates must have access to mobile phones and internet connectivity and which the teachers claim is costly.

According to the instructions released earlier by the Kenya National Examinations Council, each school is expected to create a Private Facebook Group where candidates will maintain their project portfolios.

“The Private Facebook Group should be titled 2025 KCSE Agriculture Project Portfolio followed by the name of the school.” Reads the Knec instructions in part.

Knec further says that a link to the private group created should be included each time the scores are uploaded.

“The guidelines for creating the private Facebook Group are attached.” Knec adds.

These instructions are causing an uproar in the schools which have now raised the following concerns.

Concerns about 443/3 Knec Project. The concerns are raised by Agriculture Teachers and Schools

1. Registration of candidates is in progress, it is not yet completed yet knec wants schools and teachers to upload the project portfolios of which schools and teachers are not conversant with it at the moment.

2. The project work is more tiresome and complicated. It requires more elaboration from knec officials.

3. Students must have access to phone or tablet in order to undertake the project and this is very difficult in most schools.

4. Visiting the internet requires bundles and a stable network. We are largely affected by poor internet connectivity and nothing much has taken place. There is a lot of fear on how students will perform in Agriculture.

5. Timelines given to build student community collaboration is short and it coincides with half term break .

6. Lastly the project demands much from the teacher yet Knec doesn’t pay them.

7. Students in the rural especially Arid and Semi-Arid Areas, ASAL, and those without internet access have done very minimal work.

The teachers say that the recent changes do not consider unique circumstances affecting various students in different parts of the country.

“Agriculture is one of the very important subjects and Knec should not be allowed to emasculate the entire country into confusion.” A teacher preparing candidates for the KCSE Agriculture Project Exams (and who sought anonymity) told the educationnewshub.co.ke writer.

STRICT TIMELINES

The Council has given the KCSE candidates, taking Agriculture project, two options: Grafting/budding fruit trees or Construction and stocking of a beehive.

According to Knec, the candidate’s scores on the project, together with pictorial evidence of the entire school project status will be electronically submitted to KNEC twice. Milestone I by 31st March 2025 and milestone II by 31st July 2025.

KNEC RESPONDS

Based on the sensitivity of the matter, the Council has promised to hold an online session to guide the teachers on how to overcome the raised challenges.

“To all teachers of Agriculture and centre managers presenting candidates for KCSE Agriculture 2025: Be informed that there will be an online meeting to address 443/3 challenges on Tuesday, 4/3/2025, at 10:00 a.m. The subject expert at KNEC Mr. Amaunda will take you through. Please don’t miss the session.” Says a note from the Exams Council.