NAIROBI: There is still hope for candidates who did not meet the minimum grades to join university including those who scored an overall E in last year’s examinations, Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi has said.
Out of the 483,630 candidates who sat the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination, only 149,717 of them (or 30 per cent) attained an overall mean grade of C+ (plus) and above, the minimum to qualify for university education.
This means that majority of the students who sat the examination do not qualify for public or private universities and may have to take other options to further their education.
The CS said the students still have promising education opportunities open for them including enrolling for courses offered in youth polytechnics.
Kaimenyi said business and technical courses offered in the technical institutes and polytechnics shall produce the most employment opportunities to Kenyans due to increasing demand for them as the country becomes more industrialised.
He said such students can sign up for courses such as certificate business, certificate technical or national vocational certificate in education and training courses, which are examined by the Kenya National Examinations Council.
He said other options that are available but rarely taken up include Diploma in Teacher Education, Certificate in Primary Teachers Education, Diploma, Certificate and Craft Courses in the field of Business and Technical, Certificate in Early Childhood Development and Education among others.
VALID COURSES
“These courses are highly regarded and marketable. They can be a stepping stone for those who wish to further their education to undergraduate, graduate and even postgraduate levels,” he said.
Kaimenyi added: “Parents and guardians therefore need to take time with the candidates to discuss and explore the most suitable educational progression options.”
The Education CS called on candidates to be fully aware of the educational options ahead of them and exploit them to the maximum.
Principal Secretary in the Department of Science and Technology Collete Suda called for attitude change towards technical and vocational courses, saying they are as valid as others.
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