KJSEA candidates to be placed this Friday, revision to start next week

The Ministry of Education says grade 10 placements for candidates who sat the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) will be released on Friday, December 19, 2025.

Basic Education Principal Secretary Prof. Julius Bitok says the school selection process is underway, but students who wish to revise their school or pathway choices will be able to do so starting Tuesday, December 23.

Prof. Bitok adds that senior school teachers are ready to receive the first competency-based curriculum (CBE) cohort in January 2026.

Speaking during the Kenya National Union of Teachers' annual delegates conference, Prof. Bitok confirmed that the process is on course.

He says by Friday, December 20, learners and their parents will know the schools and pathways they will join when the new academic year kicks off on January 12, 2026.

“To know which schools and pathways they have been placed, a learner sends their assessment number to 2263 and will receive the information starting Friday this week,” stated Bitok.

The PS exuded confidence in the new selection criteria, which uses the county revenue allocation formula applied in sharing funds across the 47 counties.

According to the ministry, the model is designed to promote fairness, equity, and transparency while still allowing room for review where necessary.

“After the learner knows which pathway and schools they have been placed, they will be given an opportunity, if they don’t like the pathway or if their results are not in agreement with the pathway they chose, they will be given an opportunity starting from Tuesday, 23rd to revise and get into the pathways of their choice,” said Bitok.

Speaking in Kisii County, Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba has called on universities to fast-track alignment of their programmes with the competency-based education and training framework ahead of the first senior school cohort expected in 2029.

“We as a government, have developed a draft national implementation roadmap to guide universities in this transition. In fact, we have achieved key milestones like the alignment of teacher education programs with the CBE framework, and we will continue to build the capacity of university staff on CBE,” said Ogamba.

But even as the government paints an optimistic picture of the transition, education stakeholders under the Elimu Yetu Coalition are raising red flags.

They are calling on the government to urgently bridge the teacher shortage and ensure adequate infrastructure is in place ahead of the shift to senior school.

Joseph Wasikhongo, national coordinator of the Elimu Yetu Coalition, urged fast-tracking teacher deployment and nationwide awareness on KJSEA.

In response, Prof. Bitok maintains that senior school teachers who will handle the pioneer competency-based curriculum cohort alongside the final 8-4-4 system learners have been adequately prepared.

He says that teacher training and retooling will remain a continuous process, as the government also commits to the timely disbursement of capitation funds from January.