CS Kaimenyi launches new Form One selection rules

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi has launched new Form One selection guidelines which are aimed at promoting equity, fairness and merit in the selection process.

In the proposals, candidates will choose from four clusters of national schools, as well as 3 county school clusters unlike before when selected one per category.

The top 5 candidates of either gender in a sub-county will now get places in a national school of their choice, while positions in extra county schools be shared in a ratio of 70:30 between public and private schools.

According to Kaimenyi, the proposed guidelines will also ensure students with special needs are adequately catered for in the 25 special needs schools across the country.

Last year, Kaimenyi said the formula that gives preference to pupils from public schools over private ones in Form One selection will not be changed.

Kaimenyi said the policy was a deliberate effort by the government to ensure that pupils from poor families access top national schools.

For every three candidates from public primary schools, only one slot is given to private schools.

The government enforced the policy three years ago because private school candidates previously dominated top positions in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination and gobbled up most slots in national schools.

“Private schools should not feel discriminated against. We don’t want a situation where good education is a preserve of the rich.The selection is fair. The Government is giving children who are not wealthy a chance to access good education,” said Kaimenyi.

His comments came just a day before head teachers from private schools met at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development with the aim of having the policy abolished.

In their 2014 proposal, head teachers wanted 60 per cent of national school slots be given top performers irrespective of whether they attended public or private schools. The remaining 40 per cent was to be reserved for students from marginalized groups.