Education PS Julius Bitok during the 2025 Kenya Primary School Heads Association Annual Delegates Conference in Mombasa on November 12, 2025.
The Ministry of Education will on Tuesday open a seven-day revision window to allow Grade 10 learners and parents to review and, where necessary, change senior school placements.
This follows concerns over assigned schools and pathways under the new senior secondary education structure.
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.
"Being a pioneer undertaking, the government appreciates and empathises with parents, learners, and other stakeholders’ anxieties and uncertainties around the transition to Grade 10," said Principal Secretary for Basic Education Prof Julius Bitok in a statement.
"We are dedicated to making the placement process as transparent, fair, and satisfactory as possible while taking into account learners’ preferences and the capacities and available pathways in respective schools. We encourage all involved parties to engage constructively in the placement process as we collectively refine and strengthen CBE for the benefit of our learners."
Concerns emerged after the release of placement results, with some learners reporting allocation to schools far from home, or placement in pathways they did not prefer. In response, the Ministry said the placement portal will remain open for seven days to allow candidates to revise their choices.
"To address such concerns, the Ministry will open a seven-day review of senior school choices on Tuesday, December 23. Candidates are advised to contact their Grade 9 schools or the Ministry of Education Sub-County and County offices to take advantage of this window through their respective heads of institutions.
"The review will be guided by an automated system that will match preferences to learners’ performance and the availability of slots in schools. During the review period, incorrect gender entries will also be addressed," said Prof Bitok.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos (right) with Principal Secretary Julius Bitok during the release of the 2025 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment results in Nairobi on December 11, 2025.
Prof Bitok revealed that Learners were given 12 school choices (C1 to C4) to select institutions that match their competencies and preferences. This exercise was conducted earlier this year with guidance from parents and teachers.
"CBE assesses learners through a combination of formative and summative evaluations on a 20-20-60 percent basis:40 percent formative assessment through the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) in Grade 6 percent continuous assessment in Grades 7 and 8, 60 percent Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) in Grade 9," he said.
The first Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) was conducted in November 2025, and results were released on schedule on December 11th. The process involved multiple stakeholders, including the media, to ensure transparency and efficiency.
Following the results, the Ministry has placed learners in senior schools using an automated system that considers learner choices, performance, and other factors to promote merit, equity, and fairness.
"While many learners have been placed in their schools of choice, the Ministry is aware that some parents and candidates have expressed dissatisfaction with the placements. This is largely attributable to high competition and limited admission slots in popular schools, misaligned communication between parents, learners, and heads of institutions on selected schools, and variances between selected pathways and assessment outcomes," he said.
In an interview with Nation, Prof Bitok revealed that the placement portal will remain open for seven days to enable learners to revise their choices. During this period, candidates who feel uncomfortable with their assigned pathway or school will be allowed to reapply, subject to available space and merit.
Pupils from Bula Mpya Primary School on October 10, 2022. A total of 19,054 candidates will sit for this year’s national examinations including Grade Six, KCPE and KCSE in Mandera County.
He said that all revisions will be processed transparently and equitably, in line with placement guidelines, as the government implements the new senior school structure.
“I want to urge the parents not to worry. The portal will be open for one week for admissions, and you can still revise and get the pathway you really like. When you go to the system, you will see the schools that are open, and you can now apply through your junior school. Learners would be allowed to revise their choices based on pathways, including switching from STEM to social sciences,” he said.
During the seven-day period, learners who are dissatisfied with their assigned school, or their allocated pathway will be allowed to reapply. However, any revision will be subject to merit and the availability of space in the preferred schools and pathways.
Prof Bitok explained that the ministry will publish a list of senior secondary schools with vacancies, categorised by pathway and cluster, to guide parents and candidates during the revision period.
Using the placement portal, learners will be able to submit revised choices through their junior schools, selecting only from schools that appear as available on the system.
Learners will be allowed to revise their pathway choices, including switching from STEM to Social Sciences, provided they meet the required criteria and there is space in the preferred pathway.
“After the learner knows which pathway and schools they have been placed, they will be given an opportunity, if they don’t like the pathway or if their results are not in agreement with the pathway they chose, they will be given an opportunity starting from Tuesday, 23rd to revise and get into the pathways of their choice,” said Prof Bitok.
Call to universities
Speaking separately in Kisii County, Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba called on universities to fast-track alignment of their programmes with the competency-based education and training framework ahead of the first senior school cohort expected in 2029.
“We as a government, have developed a draft national implementation roadmap to guide universities in this transition. In fact, we have achieved key milestones like the alignment of teacher education programs with the CBE framework, and we will continue to build the capacity of university staff on CBE,” said Mr Ogamba.
According to the ministry, learners will be required to report to their respective senior secondary schools by Monday, January 12, 2026.
PS Bitok explained that placement into senior secondary schools follows a structured, merit-based framework under the Competency-Based Education system.
“The selection of learners is guided by a clear framework that considers their choices, performance in the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment, and the availability of spaces in their preferred schools and subject combinations,” said Prof Bitok.
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