Critique of Plato’s Conception of Morality With Reference to the Teachers’ Expected Examination Integrity in Kenya

Abstract

Teachers’ indulgence in examination malpractices is a global phenomenon that taints their integrity. In Kenya, such vices have persisted despite the teachers’ awareness of the expected examination integrity, as spelt out in the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Code of Conduct and Ethics and the Code of Regulations. This study examines Plato’s theory of morality with reference to the teachers’ expected examination integrity. Plato’s theory of morality gives prominence to possession of knowledge as a prerequisite of informing right actions. The study seeks to establish why some professional teachers in Kenya engage in examination dishonesty despite their awareness of the expected examination conduct. It employs the philosophical methods of inquiry namely the critical, logical analysis and speculation. The study uses Immanuel Kant’s Deontological Theory of morality as the theoretical framework, which presupposes reason as a guide to moral conduct. The critical method examines Plato’s theory of morality and the Kenya National Examinations Council’s (KNEC) initiatives to combat examination malpractices. The analytic method clarifies concepts, statements and terms relating to the study; the speculative method establishes the conflict between knowledge and action. The study analyses cases of teachers’ involvement in examination malpractices in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations and the effectiveness of the empirical approach in combating examination malpractices. It finds out that the strategies employed by KNEC to curb examination vices do not enhance the teachers’ internalization of moral and professional virtues regarding examination integrity. This culminates in the manifestation of akratic tendencies among teachers whereby they persistently indulge in examination vices. The study proposes the use of metaphysical approach in facilitating teachers’ adherence to examination integrity, based on the stages of the examination life cycle. Such approach activates the individual’s faculty of reason, which is key in actualizing moral judgments.