More than 28,000 scored Grade E in the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations, 141 of them from national schools.
According to data from the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec), more boys scored the E grade compared to girls, despite boys performing better overall than girls.
The data shows a total of 28,046 candidates scored an E, 15,225 of who were boys and 12,821 girls.
Only 172 special needs candidates – among them 89 girls and 83 boys – out of the 1,854 candidates who sat the KCSE exams, scored an E.
Surprisingly, a total of 141 candidates in national schools scored an E while only 85 from extra-county schools had the grade.
County schools had a total of 1,501 candidates with Grade E while private schools had a total of 8,080 candidates with the grade.
The bulk of candidates with Grade E (18,289) were from sub-county schools.
The number of those with Grade E is, however, lower than that of the 2019 KCSE exams, where 29,318 candidates scored the grade.
An analysis of Knec data shows the number of candidates getting an E has been decreasing over the past five years.
In 2015, those who scored Grade E were 5,350, in 2016 (33,399) and in 2017 (35,536). In 2018, some 30,854 had the lowest grade.
However, all is not lost for those who scored Grade E, as they have an opportunity to pursue artisan courses and upgrade their studies up to PhD level.
While releasing the results, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha assured the candidates of a bright future, adding that they will all have a place in the available institutions of higher learning.
“Our government has ensured every child in our country has a place to pursue a career, and everyone deserves a chance,” said Prof Magoha.
Prof Magoha said the Technical and Vocational Education Training Institutions (Tvets) have also embraced Competence-Based Education and Training (Cbet) to benefit all learners.
The State Department of Technical and Vocational Education Training, in collaboration with the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA), have developed a pathway that will guide students who score Grade E to further their studies.
The Kenya National Qualifications Framework (KNQF) allows students to move from the lowest level to the highest level.
The students will be able to start from KNQF level one for primary education to level KNQF level 10, which is a doctorate degree.
Level one, which is a primary certificate, will take six years of study while level two will take six years to study for a secondary certificate or a national vocational certificate or national skills certificate III.
Level three will take three months, level four, six months, level five one year, level six two years, level seven four years, level eight one year, level nine two years and level 10 three years.
“The progression framework allows learners to start from primary certificate, secondary certificate, national vocational certificate, artisan certificate, craft certificate, national diploma, bachelor’s degree, post-graduate diploma, master’s degree and doctorate degree,” explains the KNQA framework.
Based on last year’s examination results, only 143,140 candidates scored C+ and will be able to join universities out of the 747,161 candidates who wrote the examinations.
This means a total of 604,021 candidates, more than half of the candidates who sat the examinations, did not qualify to join university.
A total of 121,942 candidates scored a D (plain), 117,898 scored a D+, 109,454 scored a C- while 85,458 scored a C plain.
Out of the 1,854 special needs candidates who sat for the exams, a total of 549 scored a D-, 328 candidates scored a D (plain) while 206 candidates had D+.
The results revealed a majority of the candidates (137,361) scored a mean grade of D-, some 121,942 candidates scored a D (plain), 117,898 scored a D+ (Plus) and 109,454 scored a C- while 85,458 scored a C (plain).
Prof Magoha said students will get a chance to pursue certificate, diploma and artisan courses in TVET, teacher training colleges, medical colleges and universities.
