The Plight of University Students and Marks for Graduation

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After four years of hard work, university students in Kenya are finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, their journey is not as smooth as they thought it would be. They are faced with a final obstacle, known as “the grades for graduation,” which stands in the way of completing their journey. Although they have worked hard for four years, they must overcome this last hurdle in order to receive their marks and graduate.

It was one month ago when the school released a memo about the graduation fee. One student narrates that he was already struggling to pay his school fees, so when he heard that he had to pay an additional 6500 KES for the graduation fee, he was heartbroken. He did not know how he was going to come up with the money. He knew that if he didn't graduate, he wouldn't be able to get a good job and provide for his family. He was determined to find a way to graduate.

The student started following up with the lecturers to see if he could get his missing marks. But most of the lecturers were uncooperative. Some of them even told him that they did not have the marks. The student then went to the chairperson of the department and he helped him search for the booklets. The student finally managed to get all the booklets and he filled out the missing mark form. He forwarded it to the COD and he was finally able to graduate.

The student says that the process was excessively complicated and bureaucratic. He had to go through a lot of hoops just to get his missing marks. But in the end, it was all worth it because he was able to graduate. He continued by saying that this is just a glimpse of the challenges that university students face.

A Story About Students Not Graduating Without Marks

Twitter is a platform that has been used to discuss this topic extensively. A popular tweet about this read, " Why do Kenyan universities make the graduation process so cumbersome for its students? This is an individual that completed their program, applied for graduation, then in the last minute, after ignoring all forms of inquiry, you tell them they can't graduate coz of missing marks.” This tweet resonated with many people, highlighting the harsh reality many university students in Kenya face.

Why do Kenyan universities make the graduation process so cumbersome for its students? This is an individual that completed their program, applied for graduation, then in the last minute, after ignoring all forms of inquiry, you tell them they can't graduate coz of missing marks.

— T. R. Okuna (@XivTroy) December 24, 2020

The plight of university students in Kenya is a factual and pressing issue. The stories shared on Twitter highlight the challenges many students face and the need for more support. We must continue to raise awareness about this issue and provide support for those who are affected by it.
The story of university students in Kenya not being able to graduate without marks is very emotional. It is one that many people can relate to, as it highlights the challenges that many students face.

How the Kenyan university marks system works

The process of getting marks from university exams can be quite complicated and bureaucratic. It starts with the students taking their exams and then submitting their answer booklets to the invigilators. The invigilators then send the answer booklets to the markers. The marking has to be done in a fair and transparent manner. So, the exam papers are first marked within the school then after that, they are sent to an external body for moderation. This process can take quite a long time, sometimes even months. And during this time, the student has no idea how they did in the exam and whether they will pass or fail.

This process is long and complicated because it involves many people and many steps. It can be very confusing for students to keep track of their answer booklets and to know when they will receive their grades. Sometimes, the answer booklets get lost and the students have to go to their various departments to follow up with their respective lecturers.

The system is designed to ensure that students who have completed their studies at Kenyan universities receive the marks they earned. However, the Kenyan university marks system has been criticized by some students who have accused the system of being unfair and causing them to miss out on marks.

One of the main criticisms is that it can lead to some students missing marks in some units. This is because the exam papers are handled manually and are only sometimes perfect. In some cases, the university may have a different number of answer scripts for all the students who have completed the exam. This can lead to some students needing to get their answer scripts marked.

One of the students posted on Twitter, "What is going on at Moi University is just but a sneak peak into the situation in public universities in Kenya. 'Mistaken discontinuation,' missing marks, name it. Unfortunate thing is victims always have no one to listen to them. No one ever takes responsibility." This student is not the only one who has faced this problem. Many students have complained about this issue on social media.

Consequently, the system has led to many students needing to graduate on time. Sometimes, students have had to wait for months to get their results. This has caused a lot of frustration among students. In one tweet, a student said, "There's NOTHING more STRESSFUL like GRADUATING from a PUBLIC UNIVERSITY in Kenya. The search for MISSING MARKS is a near DEATH experience!! Then there's the REAL HUSTLE in the search for a JOB thereafter!! You got to have the proverbial nine lives of a cat to survive." As per the comments on this post, it is clear that this student is not alone in her frustration.

How The Marks System Is Connected with Corruption, Sexual Harassment

According to a recent study , the Kenyan university marks system is connected with corruption and sexual harassment. The study found that university professors are more likely to give higher marks to students who engage in sexual relationships with them.

This issue is majorly rampant among the graduating class who are seeking to get good grades. To graduate, they must have all the marks across all the units taken. Some students have gone to the extreme of offering sexual favours to their professors to get good grades.

The study has caused an uproar on social media, with many Kenyans calling for reform of the university system. Some Twitter users have called for a complete overhaul of the education system, while others have called for more transparency and accountability. One of the users tweeted, "In most cases beautiful girls in campus experience a lot of Missing marks one wonders why, later on they are forced to give either money or Sex to get marks for papers they sat for and passed for them to graduate.”

Another user tweeted, "University management in Kenya are aware of the sex for grades/missing marks issue, but they have chosen to Normalize the abuse of young men and women." This is a very emotional tweet that speaks to the reality of what is happening in Kenyan universities. Many parents send their children to university with the hope that they will get a good education and be able to get good jobs after graduation. However, the reality is that many students are being sexually harassed and are not getting the quality education they deserve.

To conclude, many university students in Kenya face significant challenges, including not graduating because of the "missing marks" issue. These challenges were highlighted in a recent Twitter thread, emphasising the need for more student assistance in Kenya. It is time for the Kenyan government to take action to reform the university system as it needs to be more transparent and accountable. Only then will students be able to get the quality education they deserve.