Placement chaos threatens education promise

The transition from Grade 9 to Grade 10 should be a milestone for every Kenyan learner, a chance to pursue subjects and pathways aligned with their abilities and interests. Under Competency-Based Education (CBE) system, this process was meant to restore dignity, empower learners, and prepare them for senior secondary education. Yet for many learners and parents, it has become a source of anxiety, frustration, and uncertainty.

The placement, following the KJSEA exams, has exposed serious flaws. Learners are being assigned to schools that do not match their chosen pathways, sent far from home, or in some cases not placed at all. Girls end up in boys’ schools, and boys in girls’ schools. Parents report being sent from one office to another in search of answers, often with no success.

Education in Kenya has long been regarded as a great equaliser. But this promise is slipping away. Learners from disadvantaged homes, learners with disabilities, and children whose parents lack the resources to navigate bureaucracy are disproportionately affected. The system is becoming skewed in favour of those with means, undermining the principle that education should be fair and inclusive.

The government adopted the 100 per cent Transition Policy in 2018 to ensure every primary school graduate progresses to secondary education. Yet with the current mismanagement of Grade 9 to Grade 10 placements, the policy’s promise is under threat. Reports indicate that learners are being placed in schools that do not match their selected pathways, sent far from home, or in some cases not placed at all. Such failures threaten both individual learners’ futures and universal access to secondary education.

The treatment of learners with disabilities highlights the inequities most starkly. Many have been indiscriminately channelled into special senior secondary schools without adequate consideration of the nature of their disabilities or their academic performance.

In one case, two learners, one scoring 26 points and the other 55, were placed in the same special school in Kericho. Blanket placement ignores merit and violates the constitutional right to education. Inclusive education should ensure that every learner has access to an environment that supports their abilities and maximises their potential.

The strain is also affecting learners’ mental health. Many learners are delicate and acutely aware of the uncertainties surrounding their education. Anxiety, stress, and feelings of helplessness are widespread, particularly among those placed far from home, in schools that cannot support their chosen pathways, or in settings that do not accommodate their needs. Left unaddressed, these pressures could affect academic performance, self-esteem, and long-term well-being.

Equally worrying is the growing number of learners who might not transition to Grade 10 at all. Mismanaged placements, unclear communication, and lack of follow-up are leaving some learners stranded. Without urgent corrective action, these children risk dropping out, undermining years of progress toward equitable and inclusive education.

Kenya’s mismanaged placement system also falls short of international standards. UNESCO and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasise that every child has the right to inclusive, quality secondary education, with policies that accommodate learners’ abilities and needs. By placing learners in schools that do not match their pathways, sending them far from home, or ignoring their disabilities, Kenya risks violating these obligations.

Other countries provide strong examples of how secondary school placement can be fair, transparent, and inclusive. In Finland, learners are guided into pathways that align with their interests and abilities, ensuring no learner is left behind. Clear criteria, counseling, and support make transitions smooth and equitable, a model Kenya can learn from.