- MoE has opened the Grade 10 selection portal, reducing school choices for the roughly 1.2 million Grade 9 learners from 12 last year to eight this year.
- Learners have begun selecting from three pathways, STEM, Social Sciences, and Arts and Sports Science, alongside their preferred senior schools.
- Placement will follow the release of KJSEA results in December, with learners transitioning to Grade 10 in January based on preferences and academic performance.
Nearly 1.2 million Grade 9 learners nationwide began a five-day exercise this week to select their preferred senior schools, with the Ministry of Education cutting the number of available choices from 12 last year down to eight this time round.
The Directorate of Secondary Education (DSE) confirmed that the Grade 10 selection portal opened at midnight on Sunday and will run through the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS) until Friday, September 11. “The system will open at midnight on Sunday, with selection running from Monday, September 7 to Friday, September 11,” the DSE said in a statement. About 1,196,000 learners are expected to take part, competing for roughly 1.6 million available places across senior schools countrywide.
Under the revised structure, learners will now select three C1 schools, two C2 schools, two C3 schools and one C4 school, replacing last year’s arrangement, which allowed 12 choices spread across four selections under each of the three learning pathways. Alongside their school choices, learners will also declare their preferred career pathway and subject combinations, selecting a minimum of one and a maximum of two combinations from the three available pathways: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Social Sciences, and Arts and Sports Science.
Within the STEM pathway, learners can choose from subjects including Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Studies and Agriculture, with published guidance highlighting combinations such as Core Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry; Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry; Biology, Chemistry and Computer Studies; and Core Mathematics, Chemistry and Computer Studies. Core Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry is positioned as a pathway toward medicine-related careers, while Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry is geared toward engineering and the physical sciences.
ALSO READ:
KEMI invites school leaders to enrol for January 2027 Diploma Programme
According to the Ministry, about 59 per cent of Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment candidates demonstrated potential for STEM.
The Social Sciences pathway draws from subjects such as business studies, geography, history and citizenship, among other humanities disciplines. Arts and Sports Science, meanwhile, is split into two distinct tracks: Arts, and Sports and Recreation. Combinations under this pathway include Fine Arts with Music and Dance and Sports and Recreation; Fine Arts with Biology, Theatre and Film; Computer Studies with Fine Arts and Music and Dance; and Business Studies with Music and Dance, and Theatre and Film.
Regardless of pathway, every senior school learner will study seven subjects in total. Four of these are compulsory for all learners: English, Kiswahili or Kenyan Sign Language, Mathematics and Community Service Learning. The remaining three subjects are electives drawn from the learner’s chosen pathway and combination.
Public national schools, now reclassified generally as C1 senior schools, feature prominently among institutions expected to offer STEM programmes.
Not every C1 school, however, offers every STEM combination, and parents have been advised to confirm that their preferred institution offers all three electives within a learner’s chosen combination before finalising selections.
Parents are also encouraged to check whether a school operates as a boarding or day institution and to factor in its location when making choices. The selection portal itself displays the pathways and subject combinations each school has declared, helping guide these decisions.
Once selections are made, parents are expected to review the choices together with the learner, submit them through the portal and download a confirmation slip.
ALSO READ: MP accuses education officials of blocking Mobamba pupils from performing at State House Music Gala
The portal’s “My Selections” feature allows parents and learners to verify, using the learner’s assessment number, that their choices have been successfully saved. Any missing selections or technical problems related to NEMIS, KEMIS or the selection portal should be reported to the learner’s junior school or the Ministry’s support teams before the September 11 deadline.
This year’s selection process covers public senior schools only, with private institutions set to participate later during the revision stage. Once learners have made their selections, Heads of Institutions will print each learner’s profile, which parents must sign to confirm the choices; the signed documents will then be retained in school files. Junior school heads have been tasked with guiding learners and parents throughout the process to ensure their choices align with available subject combinations and individual career interests.
Placement will take place after the release of Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) results
By Masaki Enock
Get more stories from our website: Education News
To write to us or offer feedback, you can reach us at: editor@educationnews.co.ke
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
