- Grade 9 learners have until Friday, September 11, to complete their Grade 10 pathway, subject combination and school selections.
- Schools have been directed to guide parents and learners carefully while addressing assessment-number and learner-data problems before submission.
- The Ministry has also made clear that the selection process is free and no parent or learner should be charged.
Parents, teachers and Grade 9 learners have been urged to complete the Grade 10 school placement, pathway and subject selection process before the Friday, September 11, 2026 deadline.
With five working days remaining from Monday, schools are expected to intensify efforts to ensure all eligible learners complete the exercise within the stipulated period and avoid last-minute challenges.
The selection portal opened at midnight on Sunday, September 6, with the exercise running from Monday, September 7, to Friday, September 11.
Under the guidelines, learners are required to select a minimum of one and a maximum of two subject combinations.
They are also expected to identify eight preferred schools as part of the placement process. Recent guidance on the 2026 exercise similarly indicates that the number of school choices has been reduced to eight from the previous 12-school arrangement.
Learners urged to make informed choices
School heads and teachers have been advised to ensure learners and their parents are adequately guided through the selection process, particularly when choosing pathways and subject combinations that align with learners’ interests, abilities and future career aspirations.
The official Grade 10 Selection and Placement platform provides three pathways — STEM, Social Sciences, and Arts and Sports — together with subject combinations and Senior School options.
The guidelines further clarify that failure to select a particular subject such as Aviation does not necessarily prevent a learner from pursuing an aviation-related career in the future.
Schools have also been directed to address data-related challenges before completing the process.
Junior schools can make corrections to gender-related issues in consultation with the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), while the active assessment number should be used in cases where duplicate assessment numbers exist.
Heads of Institutions have been advised to print learners’ profiles, have them signed by parents and properly file the documents for record purposes.
Schools are also expected to follow up on absent learners and ensure they complete the selection exercise.
Cases involving deceased learners should be reported to the Sub-County Director of Education (SCDE) in writing.
No charges allowed for selection
The guidelines also encourage schools to use the Pathways Checker to facilitate quick and efficient selection and filtering of available options.
The Ministry’s official platform allows learners and parents to explore pathways, subject combinations and available Senior Schools before choices are submitted by schools.
Importantly, parents and learners have been cautioned that no charges or levies should be imposed for the Grade 10 selection process.
The Ministry’s official help portal explicitly states that the platform is completely free and that users should not be asked to pay to select, submit or receive placement through the system.
READ ALSO: Grade 9 school selection opens September 7 as MoE issues new guidelines
With the deadline fast approaching, education officials, school administrators and parents are expected to work together to ensure that all Grade 9 learners complete their selections by September 11 and are not left out of the placement exercise.
By Kithinji Njeru
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Grade 9 learners receive guidance during a classroom session. Schools have until September 11 to help learners complete their Grade 10 pathway, subject combination and Senior School selections.
