NAIROBI, Kenya – In recent years, the academic and career trajectories of students have been increasingly judged by their school grades, with those scoring grade E often facing societal disdain.
The stigma attached to such low grades leaves many students fearful and reluctant to discuss their educational backgrounds in public.
The pressure of explaining poor academic performance to parents, after four years of schooling, overwhelms many students.
As a result, those with E grades are frequently treated as outcasts.
Increasing Trend in E-Grades
The number of students attaining the dreaded E grade has been on a troubling rise.
Over the past five years, this number has surged by 72%, illustrating a steady increase in low-performing students.
In 2019, 29,318 candidates were at the bottom of the ranking scale, despite a rise in the number of students qualifying for university that year, which stood at 125,746.
While there was a slight drop to 28,046 E graders in 2020, the figure escalated to 46,151 in 2021.
A marginal decline followed in 2022, with 30,822 students scoring E, consisting of 18,062 men and 12,760 women.
However, this number rose again in the 2023 exams to 48,174 and further to 48,333 in the 2024 KCSE exams, with 20,112 women and 28,221 men affected.
Education stakeholders attribute the rising E grades to several factors, notably poverty, which prevents some learners from attending school due to the inability to afford fees.
School heads have defended sending students home, blaming government delays in disbursing funds, which in turn hampers the schools’ operational resources.
Impact of the New Grading System
Last year, former Education CS Ezekiel Machogu commissioned a team to investigate the high rate of poor performance in the 2023 KCSE exams.
A significant change under scrutiny was the introduction of a new grading system.
Previously, five mandatory subjects across three clusters—Mathematics, English, Kiswahili, science, and a humanity subject—were required to compute a candidate’s mean grade.
The new system reduces the mandatory subjects to two: Mathematics and one language (English, Kiswahili, or Kenyan Sign Language).
Examiners now select the candidate’s top five performing subjects to compute the mean grade, eliminating the previous cluster-based restrictions.
Critics argue that this system disproportionately emphasizes STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects, leading to more students falling into the D and E grade categories.
The debate continues as stakeholders seek a balanced approach to grading that fairly represents students’ diverse abilities.
The rising number of E grades poses significant challenges for the education sector, necessitating a closer examination of grading systems and support structures for students.
