NAIROBI, Kenya — The Ministry of Education has opened a one-week window for Grade 9 learners who sat the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) to seek changes to their senior school placements, following widespread complaints from parents and guardians over mismatches between learners’ scores, chosen pathways, and assigned schools.
In a statement dated Sunday, December 21, 2025, the Ministry acknowledged concerns raised after the release of placement results, with some families arguing that the schools allocated to their children did not reflect their performance or career aspirations.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the dissatisfaction was largely driven by intense competition for limited slots in popular schools, weak communication among parents, learners, and school heads during the selection phase, and misalignment between learners’ preferred pathways and their assessment outcomes.
“To address these concerns, the Ministry will open a seven-day review of senior school choices starting Tuesday, December 23,” Bitok said. “Candidates are advised to contact their Grade 9 schools or the Ministry of Education Sub-County and County offices to take advantage of this window through their respective heads of institutions.”
Under the guidelines, affected learners will apply for reviews through their current schools or education offices, with placements to be reconsidered using an automated system that matches learner preferences against performance and available vacancies.
The Ministry said the review will also correct errors such as incorrect gender entries captured during placement.
The move comes amid mixed reactions to the first large-scale placement under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) framework, which replaces the former 8-4-4 system. Several parents reported that high-performing learners were placed in pathways—particularly Arts or Sports—that did not align with ambitions in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
Others expressed frustration that learners with strong scores were assigned to sub-county day schools instead of preferred national or regional institutions.
Education officials say the pressure reflects structural constraints rather than errors alone. National and top regional schools attract far more applicants than available slots, creating unavoidable trade-offs during placement.
Bitok urged parents, learners, and school administrators to engage constructively as the system is refined. “Being a pioneer undertaking, the Government appreciates and empathizes with parents, learners, and other stakeholders’ anxieties and uncertainties around the transition to Grade 10,” he said.
“We are dedicated to making the placement process as transparent, fair, and satisfactory as possible while taking into account learners’ preferences and the capacities and available pathways in respective schools.”
Under CBE, learners transition to senior school (Grade 10) by selecting pathways aligned to demonstrated skills, interests and aspirations. The three pathways are: STEM, Social Sciences, and Arts and Sports.
Each learner makes up to 12 school choices—categorised from C1 to C4—covering different tiers of institutions and capacities, alongside a three-subject combination within the chosen pathway.
Assessment under CBE blends formative and summative components. 40pc is drawn from formative assessments, including the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) in Grade 6 and teachers’ continuous assessments in Grades 7 and 8, while the remaining 60pc comes from the KJSEA administered in Grade 9.
Education stakeholders say the review window is a necessary pressure valve but caution that expectations must be managed. “A review can correct misplacements and data errors, but it cannot create new slots in oversubscribed schools,” said an education policy analyst.
“Longer-term solutions will require expanding capacity and improving guidance during pathway selection.”
The Ministry has said it will continue to monitor the process and make adjustments where necessary as the CBE rollout progresses.
For families dissatisfied with placements, the seven-day window offers a limited but critical opportunity to seek alignment between performance, preference and opportunity before learners report to senior school in 2026.
