Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has warned that teachers are increasingly involved in exam cheating, with many cases showing coordinated interference rather than isolated student misconduct.
Addressing participants at the Elimu Mashinani forum in Kakamega County on Tuesday, Bitok said some instructors use phones or other tools to help learners cheat, shifting the problem from students to teachers. He highlighted that this trend is often only detected when patterns emerge across entire schools.
“It’s unfortunate, but the reality is that all the exams are usually coded, and every learner has their own paper with a code. When these exams are being marked, you never know whose paper this is. When a whole school is penalised, it’s because there’s a trend usually facilitated by teachers,” he said.
Bitok stressed that every incident must be examined carefully to avoid unfairly punishing learners who were not involved. He also pointed to the government’s efforts to improve teacher coverage as part of tackling the root causes of malpractice.
He reported that Kenya currently has 458,000 teachers for 12 million learners, noting improvements in the national student-to-teacher ratio.
“In terms of employment of teachers, this government has employed the largest number in our history. Right now, the number of teachers on payroll is 458,000, and we have 12 million learners. In Kakamega County, we have 19,383 teachers against 642,000 learners, a ratio of one to 31. International standards require one teacher per 35 students in secondary and one per 25 in primary,” he said.
Bitok admitted that certain Technical and Applied subjects still face shortages but said ongoing recruitment would bridge the gap.
“The national ratio of teachers to students is 1:26; in Kakamega, it is 1:31. When we employ the remaining 16,000, the shortage of teachers in this country will be a thing of the past. The only challenge is that most teachers prefer urban or posh schools. We will engage the Teachers Service Commission to ensure fair distribution,” he said.
On curriculum choices, Bitok explained that the government is guiding learners toward STEM, arts, and social sciences in line with national development goals. He noted that 51 per cent of students selected STEM, while 39 per cent chose social sciences, stressing that pathway choices are being aligned with the country’s skills needs.
The PS also highlighted infrastructure improvements, saying 23,000 classrooms have been constructed in the last three years and 1,600 laboratories are planned to strengthen hands-on learning.
“We are keen to look at the quality of learning that takes place in these laboratories. The majority of our schools now have laboratories, but we must address schools without them,” he said.
He confirmed that Sh5.6 billion owed to publishers has been paid, ensuring textbooks are delivered to public schools. Bitok said there is potential to include private schools in future textbook distribution plans, noting that education requires collaboration across multiple stakeholders, including government, NGOs, faith-based groups, and communities.
“Education is not a government affair; it is a multi-stakeholder effort,” he said.
Bitok concluded that expanding teacher recruitment, fair allocation, upgraded facilities, and curriculum reforms aim to give every learner, regardless of location, equal opportunities while strengthening national development through quality education.
