Nearly 200,000 KCPE graduates to miss Form One

Principal Secretary Department of Education Dr Kipsang Belio (left) looks on as Principal Secretary department of Science and Technology Colleta Suda (second left) hands Asumbi Girls Principal Ann Josephine a list of students admitted to her school shortly after the launch of the selection at Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, Nairobi. [PHOTO: JONAH ONYANGO/STANDARD]

NAIROBI: About 200,000 candidates who sat last year's standard eight national examinations have been locked out of secondary school education.

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi said only 693,946 candidates have been selected to join Form One this year.

This means that some 194,312 candidates have not been allocated places in secondary schools this year, representing 22 per cent of total candidature. Some 888,258 candidates sat KCPE last year.

The CS revealed that 20,291 candidates have been selected to join the 103 national schools. The national schools were increased from 78 last year.

Private schools will admit 44,078 students.

Special Needs Education schools were allocated 996 students. There are 25 Special Needs Education schools that specialise in various kinds of disabilities. There are also 70 regular schools where students with mild disabilities are integrated.

Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA) Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndoro said the selection process did not impress them.

"We still do not know how many places have been accorded to candidates from our schools," he said.

Extra county schools will admit 66,497 students as county schools admit 128,049 students.

In a speech read on his behalf by Education PS Belio Kipsang, Kaimenyi said some 434,048 candidates have also been selected to study in sub county secondary schools.

He said fees remains as was two years ago and warned school heads making increments.

Kipsang also said Sh2.2 billion examination fees has been remitted to the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) and warned principals against soliciting examination fees from candidates.

"The ministry is firm on these and take note of the various circulars that have been sent to you in this regard," said Kipsang.

The Form One selection was launched yesterday at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).

Kaimenyi said there was an increase in the number of students selected to join Form One, and that the transition rate had risen to 78 per cent from 77 per cent last year.

"With transition rates into secondary education standing at said levels, my ministry is alive to the fact that 22 per cent of the candidates may not be placed into secondary schools," he said.

Kaimenyi however said that there are some 100,000 places available in youth polytechnics.

He said last year, the polytechnics provided opportunities for 88,195 trainees; 45,578 boys and 42,617 girls.

"We initiated the process of placing students into these institutions in 2014 and those involved have reported impressive results," he said.

Education, Science and Technology PS, Collete Suda, said there are about 700 youth polytechnics across the country.

She also said there another 48 technical training institutes and 10 technical universities.

"All these are alternative pathways that students who do not get chance to secondary education can take up," she said.

She added: "They provide opportunities for vocational skills development for standard eight leavers. Kenyans need to know that our education system provides two distinct curriculum pathways that bear equal strength: academic and vocational," she said.

Kaimenyi said the county selections are scheduled for January 26 and 27.

Worrying trend

He also directed that selection of trainees to join Youth Polytechnics be conducted on February 5 and 6 at County level.

The ministry of education also revealed that a trend has emerged where candidates only select certain schools and ignore others.

Most female candidates preferred Alliance Girls High school with some 156,347 candidates asking to be enrolled in the school.

The male candidates also preferred Alliance High School with a request number of some 154,417 applications.

PS Kipsang said the ministry was facing a major challenge in placing candidates based on the emerging trend.

Other preferred schools are Mangu High school, Limuru Girls, Loreto High and Nakuru High School.

Lenana High, Maseno School, Machakos Boys, Nakuru Girls, MaryHill Girls and Moi Girls High School Eldoret close the top 10 most preferred schools.

Kipsang however said this years' selection was purely based on merit, district quota, affirmative action and choice of candidates.

Director Secondary and Tertiary Education Robert Masese, said the selection process had numerous challenges.

He cited schools change of names from mixed schools to single schools as one of the challenges.

He also said some schools have multiple KNEC codes.

"Some schools in same neighbourhood use same names. We also faced a challenge in differentiating learners from different backgrounds such as prisons, refugees and non-citizens," said Masese.