How the new senior school placement will work

PS Basic Education Julius Bitok before the National Assembly's Education committee on May 13, 2025. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

A new placement formula into senior secondary school is being used to ensure equity, fairness and transparency.

This emerged yesterday when the selection exercise targeting 1.1 million learners who did the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) began. 

According to Basic Education PS Julius Bitok, Senior school placement is no longer about who scored highest, but about where each learner is most likely to thrive.

The placement mirrors the County Revenue Allocation (CRA) model used to distribute national resources among the 47 counties.

“To be able to place students equitably, we have adopted the CRA formula to distribute, as fairly as possible, students from all counties across the four categories of schools,” Prof Bitok explained.

Under the model, 42 per cent of slots are allocated based on county population, giving larger counties such as Nairobi, Kiambu, Nakuru, Kakamega and Bungoma proportionately more spaces.

Academic performance accounts for 22 per cent, poverty levels 14 per cent, distance to school 13 per cent, and school size and infrastructure nine per cent with the PS assuring this formula ensures equity, fairness and transparency.

The policy will focus on key factors, among them population, learners’ performance, poverty levels, distance to schools and the size and infrastructure of schools.

“A child from Northern Kenya should have the same opportunity as a child from Western Kenya to join a school anywhere in the country,” said Prof Bitok.

The government is betting that a learner-centred, equitable placement model can succeed where exam-driven selection fell short.

Placement results are expected by Friday, after which learners will have a five-day window to request revisions similar to the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) process used for university admissions.

Unlike the 8-4-4 system, where all learners transitioned to secondary school to study the same subjects, Competency Based Education (CBE) introduces specialisation at senior school level. Learners will follow one of three pathways: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Social Sciences, or Arts and Sports Science.

For parents, learners and teachers raised under the exam-heavy 8-4-4 system, the new approach under CBE framework carries both hope and uncertainty. Hope for fairness and recognition of talent, and uncertainty over a process that no longer revolves around simple marks and cut-off points.

“We hope the government is going to give priority to learners' choice rather than placing them in areas that they did not even chose,” said Silas Obuhatsa, chairman National Parents Association.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba noted that since this is the first placement under CBE, the Ministry of Education has built systems around flexibility.

“Once the portal opens, we will keep it open. If learners or parents feel they have been placed in the wrong pathway or school, there will be space to change even after reporting in January,” Ogamba said.

This year’s KJSEA data provides insight into learner preferences and strengths. About 59.09 per cent of learners expressed interest in STEM, 46.52 per cent in Social Sciences and 48.73 per cent in Arts and Sports Science closely aligning with government projections.

Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) Chief Executive Officer David Njengere explained why aggregate scores are no longer used.

“In 8-4-4, all learners studied the same subjects, and all you needed was a total score out of 500. In CBE, learners move to senior school to specialise. What matters is their strength in the subjects they are going to pursue, not an aggregate,” Njengere said.

Top KJSEA performers celebrate at Lions Junior Secondary School in Nakuru. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Placement will be informed by a learner’s cumulative assessment record wih KJSEA contributing 60 per cent, Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) 20 per cent, and School-Based Assessments from Grades 7 and 8, another 20 per cent.

“This build-up shows a clear learning journey. There is no way a child who has consistently performed well suddenly fails without questions being raised. It also helps us reduce issues like cheating,” Ogamba said.

Bitok say there is enough space to accommodate all learners.

“Every child will get a chance to get to the next level. We have 1.1 million learners against 1.5 million declared spaces in senior schools, meaning we have about 400,000 extra spaces,” said Prof Bitok.

Under the former 8-4-4 system, placement into Form One was determined almost entirely by performance in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE).

Learners with high marks dominated national and top extra-county schools, while those from marginalised or poorer regions were often locked out regardless of potential.

That model, according to Ogamba, entrenched inequality.

“Placement favoured learners with higher scores and schools with long histories of excellence. The new system is deliberately designed to level the playing field,” noted Ogamba.

Senior schools have been reorganised into four categories: C1, C2, C3 and C4. Former national schools and Extra County 1 schools now fall under C1, Extra County 2 under C2, while county and sub-county schools form C3 and C4 respectively.

C1 and C2 schools will offer all three pathways, with an intake distribution of 60 per cent STEM, 25 per cent Social Sciences and 15 per cent Arts and Sports. Day schools will offer only two pathways.

Learners were required to select 12 senior schools before sitting KJSEA—nine boarding schools (three within their home county and six outside) and three day schools within their home sub-county. Placement will prioritise these earlier choices.

The top STEM students per gender in each sub-county will be placed in their preferred boarding schools, alongside the top three per gender in Social Sciences and the top two per gender in Arts and Sports.

Girls outperformed boys in 10 of the 12 subjects assessed, with the widest gaps in Kiswahili, English, CRE and Social Studies. Seven subjects recorded more than half of learners meeting or exceeding expectations.

Njengere dismissed calls for Grade 9 repetition under CBE.

“A child has been assessed in Grade 6, 7, 8 and 9. Why repeat? The spirit of these reforms is to nurture every learner’s potential,” noted the KNEC boss.