Effects of Covid-19 on 2020 KCSE Examination Performance in Sub-County Public Secondary Schools in Gatanga Sub-County, Murang’a County, Kenya

The study sought to investigate the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on 2020 KCSE examination performance in Sub-county secondary schools in Gatanga Sub-county, Murang’a county. Specifically the study sought to establish the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on KCSE examination performance and to investigate the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on the university entry in Sub-county secondary schools. The study employed descriptive survey design with both qualitative and quantitative approaches targeting 38 school Principals, 2774 candidates, 8 Sub-County Directors of Education and 1 County director of Education from Murang’a County. From the findings it revealed that the majority (75.6%) of the students did not participate in online classes in preparation for KCSE examination, only (24.6%) participated. Learning mediated through Ed-Tech remains out of reach for many disadvantaged students therefore, was not effective in preparing learners for National examination. From 59.39 percent of the candidature who are in the sub-county secondary schools registered a negative deviation of 8.27 from previous KCSE mean standard score, an indicator that majority (76.32%) of the sub-county schools dropped in KCSE mean and only (23.68%) schools improved. This depicts that most of the students in the sub-county schools were really affected by Covid-19 pandemic, since they could not afford to purchase online classes gadget, where majority of the students who join sub-county secondary schools come from humble families, where financing education is a challenge. From the findings majority (94.084%) of the students scored grade C plain and below: Therefore, they did not qualify to join university for a degree program only (5.916%) qualified, in deed a very small percentage a clear indicator of the negative effects of Covid-19 pandemic on the university entry. The study concluded that the 2020 KCSE performance was negatively affected by Covid-19 pandemic and in most cases students from humble background; rural areas, marginalized and urban slum, who could not access online classes. Therefore, given the challenges presented by Coronavirus pandemic the future continuation of learning in the times of pandemics depend on Government implementation of online infrastructure by swiftly harness available technology and provide adequate infrastructure for the success of online teaching and learning, through the allocation of enough money for infrastructure across the country, stimulates alternative modes of delivery for example use of satellites, mobile phones, television, radio, computers and internet to reach vulnerable and marginalized students and more so train enough workforce in schools on ICT integration in teaching and learning.