The Ministry of Education has advised Grade 10 learners to diversify their choices for senior secondary schools during the placement revision exercise, noting that applicants targeting only a handful of popular Category One (C1) schools face minimal chances of approval due to limited capacity.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said congestion in about 20 C1Secondary schools has led to thousands of requests being declined.
More than 50,000 learners are competing for slots in these schools, each with a capacity of around 500 students, making it impossible to accommodate all applicants.
Out of the 1.13 million candidates who sat the inaugural Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), over 343,000 submitted revision requests. By Saturday last week, 183,000 had been processed, with 116,000 approved and about 68,000 rejected.
Bitok explained that most of the unsuccessful cases involved learners seeking transfers into C1 schools, formerly known as national schools.
He urged parents and learners to consider other C1 institutions across the country, including those in remote areas that are struggling to attract enough students.
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“We have quite several C1 schools in far-flung areas which are not attracting enough learners. Learners willing to apply to these schools stand a better chance of approval,” Bitok said.
The revision exercise, which initially ran for seven days, allowed candidates to change both schools and pathways. However, the majority focused on switching schools rather than pathways. Bitok emphasized that placement must strictly follow merit-based criteria and capacity limits, urging applicants to be realistic in their choices.
To ease the process, the ministry has introduced a digital platform where parents and administrators can submit changes. Learners are allowed to select up to four alternative schools, improving their chances of securing a suitable placement.
Responsibilities for processing revisions have been delegated across different levels, with Cluster One handled at ministry headquarters, Cluster Two by regional directors, Cluster Three by county directors, and Cluster Four by sub-county directors.
The ministry plans to reopen the revision portal between January 6 and 9 to give dissatisfied candidates another opportunity to apply.
By Masaki Enock
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