The Ministry of Education (MoE) has directed chiefs and local administrators to visit homes and trace Grade 10 learners who have not reported to senior secondary school, in a push to complete the 100 per cent transition.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said officials will work with the Ministry of Interior to determine why some children are not attending school and identify the best ways to support them, noting that the transition will be fully completed.
“The transition will be fully completed, with the ministry aiming for 100 per cent enrolment. Next week, officials will engage with the Minister of Interior so that chiefs and local administrators can visit homes to find out why some children are not attending school and determine the best ways to support them,” Ogamba said as quoted by one of the local dailies.
This directive comes after approximately 400,000 learners remained unaccounted for in the first week of admissions, prompting the government to extend the reporting deadline to Wednesday, January 21, 2026. The deadline had initially been set for January 16, but Ogamba said the extension was necessary to ensure no learner is left out of senior secondary education under the 100 per cent transition policy.
RELATED:
Gov’t Extends Grade 10 admission deadline to January 21 as over 400,000 learners fail to report
By Friday night, only 550,000 out of 1.13 million learners had been captured in the online admissions portal, although Ogamba clarified that physical admissions were higher as schools continued to key in data. He said some students had already been admitted, oriented and begun lessons, but their details had not been fully updated due to connectivity challenges in some schools. The Ministry expects the numbers to rise as the remaining regions submit their entries.
The slow reporting has been linked in part to rising schooling costs, with parents in extra‑county and county schools citing fees, uniforms, books, personal effects and subject‑specific charges as barriers.
Ogamba reiterated that no learner would be left behind, noting that the government has activated financing options such as NG‑CDF bursaries and scholarships from partner organisations to support vulnerable learners. “We have coordinated with county governments to unlock bursary funds, ensuring that learners facing financial challenges can report to school without delay,” he said.
“We have found it necessary to extend the Grade 10 admission deadline to Wednesday next week to ensure no learner is left out, except in critical cases involving clear placement errors,” Ogamba said.
He added that under‑enrolled schools could be repurposed, while others may be closed, with a report to be prepared after admissions detailing how many students each school has received and whether adjustments, including redistributing students, are necessary.
ALSO READ:
KEJUSTA warns against electing “sellouts” as JSS autonomy push intensifies
A total of 1.3 million candidates sat the 2025 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), whose results were released in December 2025, and more than 300,000 learners subsequently applied for reassessment of their scores.
MoE maintains that the transition target remains intact, with chiefs and local administrators now central to tracing the remaining learners and ensuring they report to school.
By Masaki Enock
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
>>> Click here to read more informed opinions on the country’s education landscape
