Grade 9 parents dissatisfied with their children’s Senior School placement have begun asking whether they can personally visit Senior Schools with copies of their children’s KJSEA results, in the same manner admissions were handled during the 8-4-4 system. While the question is understandable, especially from parents driven by anxiety and high expectations, such an exercise is ultimately futile under the current Competency-Based Education (CBE) framework. The era in which individual schools conducted parallel, informal admissions based on physical visits, persuasion, or perceived influence is over. Admission into Grade 10 is no longer discretionary; it is systemic, digital, and centrally managed through the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS), as clearly stipulated by the Ministry of Education.
Under CBE, placement into Senior School is not merely about examination scores. It is a structured process that considers a learner’s demonstrated competencies, pathway alignment, subject clustering, available school capacity, and national equity considerations. This philosophy was communicated exhaustively by the Ministry long before placement results were released. In fact, detailed explanatory materials were disseminated to schools and stakeholders to ensure clarity. Therefore, attempts to bypass this system by physically presenting KJSEA result slips to schools reflect not only a misunderstanding of the policy, but also a refusal to accept the fundamental shift that CBE represents.
Grade 10 admission will be conducted strictly through NEMIS. The system already contains the official placement data for every learner. Schools, whether public or private, do not have the authority to alter this data or to admit learners who are not placed there by the government. Once learners physically report to their assigned schools, institutions will simply confirm their presence, enroll them on the system, and begin instructional processes. Admission, therefore, is not an act of selection by the school; it is an act of reception and confirmation of a placement already determined by the national system.
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Parents must also understand that government capitation follows the learner through NEMIS. Funds will be disbursed only to the schools where learners are officially placed and enrolled. A learner who appears physically in a school without a corresponding NEMIS placement is effectively invisible to the government. Such a learner attracts no capitation, no learning materials allocation, and no official recognition. No public school principal, already under intense scrutiny and accountability, will risk admitting a learner whose presence cannot be justified within the national data system.
The Ministry of Education has been unequivocal on accountability. Principals will account for admissions and enrollment daily. NEMIS data is monitored in real time, and discrepancies between physical enrollment and system records are easily detected. If a principal admits a “stranger”—that is, a learner not placed in that school by the government—they will be required to explain the irregularity. This is not a hypothetical threat; it is an operational reality in a digitized education management environment. The consequences of such actions can range from administrative sanctions to disciplinary measures, depending on the severity of the breach.
It is also important to confront an uncomfortable truth: dissatisfaction with placement does not automatically mean injustice. Many parents are reacting from the mindset of the 8-4-4 system, where raw scores were the dominant currency and where personal initiative could sometimes override formal procedures. CBE deliberately dismantles this culture. It prioritizes learner fit over prestige, pathway alignment over school brand names, and system integrity over individual bargaining. While this transition is emotionally difficult for some parents, it is necessary for the long-term credibility of the education system.
Moreover, encouraging parents to physically visit schools with result slips risks creating unnecessary chaos, false hope, and potential exploitation. Unscrupulous individuals may take advantage of desperate parents by promising “connections” or “backdoor” admissions that simply do not exist within the current framework. The Ministry’s guidelines are designed precisely to protect parents and learners from such manipulation by ensuring that all admissions are transparent, traceable, and equitable.
Schools, both public and private, are also bound by these guidelines. Private schools, in particular, must resist the temptation to conduct parallel admissions for commercial gain. Under CBE, they are not exempt from national accountability mechanisms. Any learner admitted must be verifiable on NEMIS, and any deviation exposes the institution to sanctions. The days when private institutions could operate as parallel systems outside government oversight are rapidly closing.
The correct course of action for parents dissatisfied with placement is not school hopping, but structured engagement with the Ministry’s established redress mechanisms. Where genuine errors have occurred, there are official channels for review and correction. These processes may not be instant, but they are lawful and effective. Anything outside them is a gamble that almost always ends in disappointment.
In conclusion, visiting Senior Schools with copies of KJSEA results in the hope of securing Grade 10 admission is an exercise in futility. The system no longer works that way. Placement is centralized, admission is system-driven, and accountability is uncompromising. Parents, schools, and learners must align themselves with this new reality. Ignoring Ministry guidelines does not disadvantage the system; it disadvantages the learner. The wisest decision is to report to the school placed by the government, trust the process, and allow the learner to progress within the framework designed to servegoals – not individual preferences, but national educational goals.
By Ashford Kimani
Ashford teaches English and Literature in Gatundu North Sub-county and serves as Dean of Studies.
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