Principal Secretary for Basic Education Prof Julius Bitok.
With the seven-day Grade 10 placement revision window ending on Monday, the Ministry of Education has revealed that learners continue to apply for placement in Cluster One (national) schools despite limited capacity.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok told the Daily Nation on Saturday that more than 50,000 learners have applied for just 20 national schools, underscoring intense competition for a limited number of slots.
He said the Ministry has so far received 343,000 placement revision requests, representing about 33 percent of candidates as parents and learners rush to secure spaces in top-tier institutions.
Students in class in this picture taken on August 28, 2024.
According to the Ministry, 183,000 requests have been processed so far, with 116,000 approved and changes effected, while 67,000 were declined largely due to merit-based cut-off points and capacity constraints.
“Placement must strictly follow criteria and not all requests can be approved. Learners should also take note of the schools available on the placement portal and apply to institutions where they qualify,” said Prof Bitok.
Learners whose requests have been declined due to merit or capacity constraints are encouraged to reapply to other schools where they meet the requirements.
The Ministry on Tuesday launched a digital platform to allow parents and school administrators to request changes to placements into senior secondary schools, a move aimed at easing anxiety among learners dissatisfied with their initial school or pathway allocations.
The revision period is intended to address cases where candidates are uncomfortable with their assigned school or pathway, while ensuring the process remains fair, transparent and aligned with national placement guidelines.
Under the new system, each learner seeking a review is allowed to select a maximum of four alternative schools.
This means a candidate placed in one school but aspiring to join another can list up to three additional options to improve their chances of securing a preferred placement.
For instance, a learner initially placed at Kakamega High School but wishing to transfer to Alliance High School may select Alliance as their first option and choose three other schools as alternatives.
“I want to urge everyone to be patient as we ensure this process is done properly because these are children, and it’s in our interest to get it right. We want this transition to be as smooth as possible. We have seven days to complete the process, and the platform is available 24 hours a day, so requests can be submitted anytime — morning or night. By January 12, all learners will have joined their respective schools,” Prof Bitok said.
He added that to ensure efficiency, responsibilities have been delegated across different levels.
Cluster One approvals are handled at the Ministry headquarters, Cluster Two by regional directors, Cluster Three by county directors and Cluster Four by sub-county directors.
“There are learners seeking to change from STEM to social sciences, others from social sciences to STEM, and others from STEM to arts and sports, and vice versa. We have requests across the board and from all over the country. I am also pleased that as we process these revisions, we have delegated responsibilities to our field officers,” he said while supervising the process at Naivasha Boys Boarding Junior Secondary School.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
