Tanzania and Kenya prepare for massive national student assessments

Over 4.2 million students in Tanzania and Zanzibar are registered to participate in national assessments for Grade 2, Grade 4, and Form 2 this month. According to Professor Said Mohamed, Executive Secretary of the National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA), Grade 4 assessments will take place on October 5 and 6, 2026, across 21,008 primary schools. Grade 2 school-level assessments are scheduled for October 7 and 8, involving 1,827,367 students. Form 2 national assessments will run from October 12 to 23, 2026, across 6,612 secondary schools and 599 private candidate centers.

In Kenya, more than 3.6 million students are set to sit for national examinations and assessments. Education Minister Julius Ogamba announced that the number of candidates has increased compared to the previous year. The assessments include KPSEA, KJSEA, and the KCSE, which is scheduled to officially begin on October 19. To ensure the integrity of the process, the government has implemented strict measures to combat cheating and has increased the number of examination material storage containers to 701 nationwide. Officials have also been trained to mitigate the impact of El Niño rains on the examination period.