Reasons Behind Unselected School Placements for 2023 KCPE Candidates
A plethora of questions and concerns often arise, prompting a deeper investigation into the factors that may lead to learners finding themselves in schools they never opted for.
Placing pupils who scored 400 marks or higher in the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations in public sub-county secondary schools instead of national institutions is part of the Ministry of Education’s initiative to achieve 100% transition.
However, some students were not assigned to schools that matched their grades due to their failure to select schools of their choice before the exams.
Public schools in Kenya are classified as National, Special Needs Education, Extra County, County, and Sub County, with students placed based on their achievement in the KCPE exams.
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The ministry makes placements mostly based on merit and the individuals’ preferences.
Some pupils have also lost out on slots in schools inside their counties and have been put in schools in neighboring counties.
Possible Causes of Learners Being Placed in Unchosen Schools:
Vacancy Constraints:
Limited availability of vacancies in the preferred school may force the system to allocate students to alternative institutions.
The Ministry of Education data reveals that it has actively placed a total of 62,007 students to schools outside their counties. Mr. Machogu attributes this to a substantial rise in the number of candidates who participated in the 2023 KCPE tests, marking an increase of almost 180,000.
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The CS further indicated that the rise was due to the fact that this was the final 8-4-4 cohort, and hence the last chance for everyone who wished to take the exam.
“This created a placement challenge, particularly in certain counties where there was insufficient capacity. As a result, some learners from these counties were placed in schools located in neighboring counties,” Machogu said.
Incomplete Selection:
Some learners might fail to select any school during the process, leaving the system to make decisions on their behalf.
According to Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, a significant number of candidates—28,052 in total—did not select any secondary schools across various categories, potentially affecting the placement outcome.
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The Ministry of Education decided to place these candidates in public sub-county secondary schools nearest to their former primary schools.
Miscommunication:
There are instances where learners claim not to have chosen a particular school, whereas they may have inadvertently made a selection.
Suggested Solutions:
Encourage Prompt Action:
Learners placed in schools they didn’t choose should be urged to report to the assigned school promptly. Alternatively, they can submit a request for a transfer to their preferred institution.
Verification of Choices:
To avoid any discrepancies, it is essential for learners to confirm their selected choices during the primary school phase.
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Reasons Behind Unselected School Placements for 2023 KCPE Candidates
