By Obegi Malack
obegimalack@gmail.com
Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha has said Grade 6 learners will be allowed to select Junior Secondary Schools in August 2022 through the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) portal which will be operational from 15thAugust until 30th August to allow learners to do the selection in readiness for their placement.
Prof. Magoha said the transition of learners from Upper Primary to Junior Secondary School (JSS) will be guided by the assessment outcomes of the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA).
The CS who was speaking on Friday during commissioning of the Council’s new Head Office located in the New Mitihani House in South C said KPSEA will be a combination of the learners’ scores attained from the School Based Assessments (SBA) administered at Grade 4, 5 and 6 and the National Summative Assessment to be administered in November, 2022.
He was accompanied with Chief Administrative Secretary Dr Sara Ruto, Chairperson of Departmental Committee on Education and Research Florence Mutua, Principal Secretaries Dr Julius Jwan and Prof Fatuma Chege and KNEC Council Chair Prof. Julius Nyabundi.
“I note with satisfaction that KNEC has been able to administer School Based Assessments (SBA) at Grade 3, 4 and Grade 5. In this regard, I applaud the teachers for their professionalism,” the CS said.
KNEC has instituted all relevant measures to ensure credibility of SBAs which include capacity building of teachers to enhance the administration and marking of SBA, Use of a variety of assessment methods that require learners to demonstrate their competencies, monitoring administration of SBAs while in progress and analysis of the SBA scores submitted by the schools to establish their credibility.
“It is evident that the assessment scores submitted by schools for the SBAs are objective, with the scores revealing a normal distribution curve in 2020 and 2021,” Magoha said.
KNEC is administering the Grade 6 SBA to the 2022 cohort between 18th July, 2022 and 9th September, 2022.
KNEC Chief Executive Officer Dr David Njengere said the council had been institutionalizing Competency Based Assessment (CBA) which is a balanced blend of formative and summative assessments.
“From the analysis of the scores of School Based Assessments uploaded by schools, it is evident that teachers have been quite professional in the process. A cumulative distribution of the total scores for all learners at a scale of 20 in 2020 and 2021 revealed normal distribution curves, which is one of the main characteristics of an objective assessment,” the CEO said.
In 2021 the Grade 4 cohort of learners that did the SBAs, only six hundred and seventy-seven (677) learners, representing 0.05% of the entire population scored 20 out of 20. In Grade 5, only nine hundred and eighty-two (982) learners, representing 0.08% scored 20 out of 20. The CEO said the score is evidence of realistic reporting of assessment outcomes by the teachers.
At the end of Grade 6, KNEC will administer a summative assessment to all the 2022 Grade 6 learners from 28th to 30th November 2022.
The assessment will contribute 40% of a learner’s score as they transit to Junior Secondary School. KNEC will assess the thirteen (13) subjects offered at Upper Primary level using five (5) papers constituted as follows: Mathematics, English language, Kiswahili language/Kenyan sign language, Integrated Science (combines 4 subjects) and Creative Arts and Social Studies (combines 4 subjects).
Learners with special needs who are able to follow the regular pathway will have their KPSEA papers adapted based on their area of special needs.
The key considerations and requirements for selection and placement of learners in JSS in 2023 include placement in all existing registered public and private secondary schools.
Public secondary schools which share a compound with a public primary school shall utilise the available classroom(s) in the primary school as additional learning space.
Existing registered private secondary schools will be available for learners whose parents will pay the fees charged by the private secondary schools.
JSS established from existing registered private primary schools which have expanded their facilities to accommodate JSS will be available for learners whose parents will pay the fees charged by the private secondary schools.
Existing registered public and private secondary schools will not require re-registration to offer JSS education.
The MoE will undertake registration of all JSS established as stand-alone institutions established from existing private primary schools as long as they have complied with the minimum requirement of classrooms and having a fully equipped laboratory.
Registration of JSS will be in accordance with the Registration Guidelines for Basic Education Institutions (2021). The MoE shall monitor the process of registration to ensure compliance to the CBC requirements.
Selection for admission of learners into JSS will be premised on the principles of: merit (performance in KPSEA); equity (affirmative action where required); choice of schools by learners on advice by parents and teachers; and institutional declared capacity.
Learners, in consultation with their parents and teachers will be given an opportunity to select a public or private secondary school of their choice for their JSS education. Parents shall meet the cost of learning in private schools as is the usual practice.
For standalone Junior Secondary Schools, only those that are registered will be eligible for selection and placement.
In compliance with the 100% Transition Policy, all learners will be placed in Junior Secondary School institutions.
Learners with special needs and disabilities pursuing the Stage-Based Pathway will transition to the next level based on performance in the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) administered by KNEC and each learner’s readiness to transition.
Inclusive education shall continue for learners with special needs who attend regular schools. Learners will be placed in appropriate JSS institutions based on their disability and performance in KPSEA.
In January 2023, approximately 2,512,467 learners are expected to join Secondary Education in accordance with the Government policy on 100% Transition of learners in Basic Education. These include 1,268,830 learners enrolled in Grade 6 in 2022 who will transition to JSS (Grade 7) under the CBC; and 1,243,637 Standard 8 cohort of 2022 who will transition to Form 1 under the 8:4:4 system.
