CS Amina directs that those who failed to secure placement be given another month to apply afresh

The agency in charge of university and college placements has been directed to find out the whereabouts of more than 500,000 students who were not selected to join public and private universities as well other colleges.

Some 606,394 students sat for last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education, only 62,851 attained the minimum university entry requirement of C+. This translates to 47 per cent of the 132,686 capacity in the country’s 65 public and private universities.

Colleges selected a paltry 553 to pursue State-funded diploma programmes against a capacity of 54,927, while less than a quarter of the available 22,959 slots were taken up for certificate courses.

Some 5,747 students failed to secure placement while 2,128 others did not apply at all.

Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, while launching the placement of the students yesterday, directed the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) to find out the fate of those who failed to apply.

KUCCPS Chief Executive John Muraguri explained that although the agency carried out an extensive and nationwide sensitisation campaign to educate candidates about the available opportunities and how to apply for the courses using the National Central Placement System, few students applied for diploma courses.

“Candidates who sat the KCSE examination prior to 2017 were advised to apply for diploma and certificate courses. The placement service carried out a campaign for applications to TVET (technical and vocational education and training) courses through 21 vernacular FM radio stations. In these campaigns, we encouraged candidates to apply notwithstanding the grades they scored, highlighting the various training opportunities available to them,” said Mr Muraguri.

Ms Mohamed directed that those who failed to secure placement be given another month to apply afresh.

“I call upon the placement service to reach out to these candidates individually to give them a chance to apply,” she said.

Higher Education stakeholders also pressed Muraguri and other education officials to explain why students who study diploma courses for three years should not be allowed to join universities in their third year of study.

Muraguri explained that currently universities admit diploma students but they have to begin their degree courses from the first year.

Mohamed said that in order to absorb more students from tertiary colleges who have completed their diploma courses to pursue degrees, a clear pathway to university education must be addressed.

“In a few days, I will be gazzetting a national qualification framework, which spells out clear TVET pathways for all learners who do not qualify to join universities directly,” said Mohamed.

The ministry has asked the board to develop a placement criteria for such students.

Mohamed said this would actualise the alternative TVET pathway to university education.

Out of the 606,394 students who sat for the exams last year, only 69,151 who scored C+ and above managed to get the minimum cut-off points to get entry into universities.

Some 62,851 of the 69,151 candidates who scored C+ and above have been selected to join universities under the Government-sponsored programme to pursue 1,713 courses in all the universities.

The public universities that attracted most students include Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) 4,866, Kenyatta University 4,667, University of Nairobi 4,540, and Moi University 3,865.

Others are Maseno University 2,712, Kisii University 2,417, Egerton University 2,328, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology 2,269, and Chuka University 1,917.

In private universities, Mount Kenya University topped the admissions with 2,447 students, followed by Kabarak University 2,181, KCA University 1,363, African Nazarene University 738, Kenya Methodist University 662, and University of Eastern Africa - Baraton 592.

Most of the students who chose diploma courses preferred to join Cooperative University of Kenya at 3,531.

The Technical University of Mombasa came second at 2,311, Eldoret Polytechnic 1,563, Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology 1,508, and Meru Polytechnic 1,334.

Others are Nairobi Technical Training Institute 1,140, Kisumu Polytechnic 1,071, Kitale Polytechnic 760, Ol Lessos Technical Training Institute 29, and Nyeri Polytechnic 27.

KUCCPS has placed 28,866 students to pursue diploma courses of their courses of choice.

On certificate courses, 222,737 students scored grades ranging between D+ and D and were eligible for enrolment into vocational training centres.

Of these, 5,324 students applied and were successfully placed.

“There will be continuous intake for diploma and certificate courses under Government sponsorship in our TVET institutions. I encourage KCSE holders to apply for admission under the certificate courses,” said Mohamed.