Outcry as 120,000 Learners Receive Placements in Schools They Didn’t Choose.
It has now been revealed that over 120,000 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination students were placed to secondary schools they did not choose.
While releasing Form One selection details on Monday, Director of Secondary Education Paul Kibet stated that approximately 9% of the students could not get into their preferred schools.
“The placement was largely based on merit, choice, affirmative action and available spaces,” the official added.
With 1.4 million students put in secondary schools, this means that 126,029 candidates will report to institutions they did not select.
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Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu confessed that due to a lack of space, some students were unable to attend their preferred school in seven counties: Nairobi, Kwale, Narok, Kilifi, Mombasa, Kajiado, and Isiolo.
A few candidates who could not be placed using the above criteria were placed in schools of equivalent standing outside their counties. This number included those from counties with inadequate capacity, the CS mentioned.
Machogu, on the other hand, supported the procedure, claiming that the placement largely reflected the candidates’ intended choices and merit.
Parents are now asking with the government to enable placement of students based on merit and preference before to the January 15 opening.
Jasper Omwega, Nairobi County Chairman of the National Parents Association, blasted the practice, saying it might cause problems for parents as they race to find place at other schools.
Parents express concern about the misplacement of learners, emphasizing their worries and hoping that the ministry will address the issue to avoid confusion for the students.
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Omwega reported that the Ministry of Education has placed high-scoring students, including those with 400 marks, in schools that are not commensurate with their KCPE results.
This revelation came to light during a meeting attended by civil society groups, spearheaded by the Elimu Yetu Coalition.
Silas Obuhatsa, national chairman, said his office has yet to receive formal complaints regarding the placement, although he had heard about it.
He recommended parents to seek assistance from county and sub-county directors of education. “We are grateful that the government made the Form One placement available on time.” This would give parents adequate time to prepare for the admissions process,” he said.
Despite strong results, Machogu stated that 28,052 candidates were unable to select the schools to which they desired to apply in various categories.
He stated that 222 candidates did not choose any national school, while 4,837 did not choose extra-county, county 8,716 or sub-county 14,277.
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Machogu directed the placement of such applicants to public sub-county secondary schools located in close proximity to their former primary schools.
As a result, some high-achieving candidates may have ended themselves in day schools.
National schools received 42,927 Form One students this year, while another 274,746 will attend extra-county schools, 288,201 will attend county schools, and 2,225 will attend special schools.
The vast majority of Form One students, 792,230 in total, will attend sub-county schools, the majority of which are day schools.
On Tuesday, the chairman of the Kenya Private Schools Association, Charles Ochome, stated that the schools were still analyzing the placement data before making a decision on the exercise.
Joseph Wasikhongo, national coordinator of the Elimu Yetu Coalition, urged the government to investigate the parents’ claims and correct any errors.
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Outcry as 120,000 Learners Receive Placements in Schools They Didn’t Choose
