What Happens When You Fail KCSE? Do You Kill Yourself?

Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education results came was released on 18^th December 2019, as always nationals exams come with a lot of pressure to perform well and get into a university.

The new 2-6-6-3 education curriculum seeks to reduce this pressure by not leaving it to one national exam to determine one’s future. Sometimes the pressure gets too much and students cannot handle it.

In 2018, two students who sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination committed suicide after failing the exam. One of the students committed suicide in Nyamache Sub County, Kisii County.

Area chief Meshack Nyang’ara said the boy locked himself in the house after confirming his results on the Short Text Message and hanged himself.

Another student committed suicide in Kajiado County after receiving KCSE results. In 2017 a student in Migori County who sat the national examinations committed suicide over poor results. The 22-year-old who sat the examinations at Moi Nyabohanse Girls Secondary School is reported to have jumped into a well and drowned.

Migori County Police Commander Joseph Nthenge said the girl committed suicide after quarreling with her parents over-performing poorly.

READ: Here Is A List Of Top 10 KCSE 2019 Candidates

Students who performed poorly should not be ridiculed or quarreled, rather that they should be encouraged that their futures are not done away with and that they are some solutions.

In 2017 Fred Matiang’i who was then the Cabinet Secretary of Education and currently the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Security gave some solutions he said

“Learners who attain C and C minus can be admitted to a diploma program and, if they so wish, can later register for an undergraduate degree program.

He added that learners who attain D and D plus can be admitted to certificate programs and, if they so wish, can proceed to attain a diploma and thereafter a degree level qualification.

Students who obtain D minus and E to consider join vocational training institutions and later advance certificate, diploma and degree level courses as appropriate.”

Other options include vocational training centers or youth polytechnics. Students who attain D can also join the Kenya Defense forces (KDF). Students who have a record of good performance but fail their national examination can challenge their results and have their papers re-marked at the Kenya National Examination Centre.

And finally, students who are completely unsatisfied with their results can apply to sit for national exams again in the commencing year.

KCSE is not the end of life. If you haven’t performed well, please do not kill yourself.

READ: Top 10 Best Secondary Schools in KCSE 2019 Results

By Kathleen Francisca