NAIROBI, Kenya– The government is set to hold nationwide consultations with key education stakeholders to determine the future of more than 3,000 public secondary schools with fewer than 150 students.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the conversations will focus on optimizing limited resources and the equitable deployment of teachers.
The initiative comes amid growing concern over underutilized facilities and low enrollment in several public schools.
“We have categorized schools into four clusters: former national schools, extra-county schools, county schools, and day schools. Most of the schools that did not receive students are in the day-school or sub-county school category,” Bitok said.
He revealed that more than 5,000 schools went unselected during the recent Grade 10 placement exercise, sparking concern over their viability.
“We want to ask ourselves as a country, if these schools require investments, teachers, and other resources, what is the best way to manage them? That’s why we are open to an honest national conversation with all stakeholders, including our partners.”
The first cohort of learners who took the KPSEA (Kenya Primary School Education Assessment) will join Grade 10 (senior secondary) in January 2026.
The PS assured parents and students awaiting placement letters that no learner would be arbitrarily assigned to schools they did not select.
The move is part of broader reforms aimed at addressing inefficiencies within the education sector, especially as the country transitions fully into the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The Ministry hopes the dialogue will lead to policy decisions that ensure sustainability, access, and quality across all public schools.
