- 67,000 Grade 10 students have faced a major setback after the government rejected their requests to change senior schools ahead of admission
- Principal Secretary Julius Bitok highlighted the main reason for rejecting the numerous requests and urged the affected students to consider other alternatives
- The government announced a second revision window for declined applications to fill remaining school vacancies and reevaluate applicant pathways
Nancy Odindo, a TUKO.co.ke journalist, has over four years of experience covering Kenyan politics, news, and features in digital and print media.
Thousands of Grade 10 learners seeking transfers to senior schools ahead of the January opening have encountered a major setback after the Ministry of Education declined a significant portion of their requests.
Source: Facebook
In a report released on Saturday, December 27, education officials confirmed that they had received more than 180,000 applications from parents and learners hoping to revise their school placements.
Out of these, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok revealed that 183,000 cases were processed, with 116,000 approvals granted and 67,000 requests rejected.
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Why government rejected 67,000 senior school review appeals?
Bitok explained that the rejections were primarily due to limited capacity in highly sought-after institutions.
He noted that the majority of declined cases involved learners seeking admission into the 262 C1 schools, formerly known as national schools.
These institutions, celebrated for their strong academic performance, remain the most competitive and attractive to parents.
“The main reason why we are declining some of the requests is because of capacity. More than 50,000 students are interested in twenty schools which is impossible to deal with. It is difficult. These schools which are always top in this country have a capacity of 500 students each. That is why we had to reject and ask them to look for other C1 institutions,” Bitok stated.
Bitok noted that some C1 schools located in remote areas are struggling to attract students, while urban and well-known schools are oversubscribed.
“One sad thing we have noted is that there are quite a several C1 schools in far-flung areas which are not attracting students. As a ministry, we are thinking hard to ensure that all C1 schools receive learners across the country,” he said.
Source: Twitter
When will government open second phase of senior school reviews?
As a result, learners whose applications were declined have been urged to make fresh appeals between January 6 and 9, when the ministry will open the second revision window.
The review was launched through an online platform to allow parents and school administrators to request changes to their senior schools or reevaluate Grade Nine learners’ pathways based on their performance in the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA).
This is the first time the country is experiencing digital senior school placement, a system designed to streamline the process and enhance transparency.
Meanwhile, parents who are satisfied with their children’s placement have been directed to collect admission letters from their respective senior schools starting Sunday, December 28.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
