The transition of learners from junior to senior secondary school has reached 96 per cent nationwide as at January 27, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has announced
The figure is expected to rise further, with the government targeting 98 per cent by the end of the week following President’s directive that all children be enrolled in school regardless of fees or uniforms.
Of the learners transitioning, 52 per cent have been placed in the STEM pathway, 38 per cent in Social Sciences, and 10 per cent in Arts and Sports.
Placement across school clusters shows 10 per cent of students going to national schools (C1), 23 per cent to extra-county schools (C2), 31 per cent to county schools (C3), and 36 per cent to sub-county schools (C4).
Regional transition rates vary, with the North Eastern region recording the highest at 99.31 per cent, followed by Central (97.94%), Western (97.64%), Nairobi (95.04%), Eastern (94.12%) and Coast (89.19%).
To support the transition, the government is racing to complete 1,600 science laboratories by June. CS Ogamba said the labs are crucial for the first cohort of senior school learners under CBE to immediately begin practical lessons, a core component of the system.
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An audit by the ministry revealed that 1,452 senior schools lacked proper laboratories and were relying on makeshift facilities. The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Education with support from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and the World Bank.
The ministry also highlighted support for special needs education, noting that the country has 37 special needs schools. In the current financial year, the government allocated Ksh100 million, translating to Ksh2.7 million per school, to improve infrastructure and enhance learning conditions.
CS Ogamba described the transition as a major milestone, saying: “This is the first time such a transition is taking place under CBE, and the government has done quite well. We are confident we can reach 98 per cent by Friday.”
A total of 1,130,459 candidates sat the 2025 Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA), the first exam under the new Competency-Based Education (CBE) system. Of these, 578,630 were boys and 551,829 were girls, tested across 24,366 junior secondary schools.
By Obegi Malack
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