Form one placement results to be released today

Pupils who sat the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams will know which secondary schools they will be joining on Monday.

The Ministry of Education is set to release the form one placement as well as the results of the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA).

Over 1.2 million pupils who sat their KCPE exams in 2022 will be placed in 112 national, 776 extra county, 1,301 county, 6,297 sub county schools. Other will join the 1,301 private secondary schools.

According to the ministry’s formula, ten top performing students from each of the country's 290 sub counties will get admission to the national schools of their choice, bringing to 2,900 the number of students who will get the schools they wanted.

It adds that the placement will also be based on merit, equity, with affirmative action considered especially for national schools and choice.

However, some education stakeholders have faulted the computerised placement, saying it disadvantages some pupils.

“The government could let Sub-county schools selections to be done by teachers so that they select students from schools that are within their proximity,” Kisii KUPPET Secretary-General says.

Unlike KCPE, the KPSEA results that will be released on Monday will not determine how pupils will proceed to junior high school.

The Education Ministry is also expected to give an update on the ongoing assessment of primary schools countrywide that is set to determine which institutions will host junior secondary schools in just a week's time.

As teachers, we want to know what will happen to students if they say some schools are not fit to host JSS,” says Meru Central KNUT Secretary General Caxton Miungi.

Another issue expected to be clarified include whether junior secondary school students will have different uniforms from the other lower classes and just how much fees parents will pay for their grade seven pupils.

Some parents have argued that this second phase of the CBC should benefit from the free education plan for lower classes.