Grade nine learners in junior secondary schools are scheduled to sit for the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) in November, in preparation for senior secondary school next year under the Competency Curriculum (CBC).
KJSEA is set to replace the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) Examination. There are significant differences not only in its administration but also how candidates in candidates placed in senior secondary schools.
KJSEA will adopt a wider perspective in contrast to KCPE which relied on a single exam at the end of eight years of primary school to determine a learner’s future.
Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) David Njengere, noted that besides the final KJSEA examination, a summative assessment will also be done to evaluate students’ overall performance in grades seven and eight.
Furthermore, they will have to fill in a questionnaire where they shall express their career and future aspirations. This will be used to identify classes they will be placed into while at senior secondary school.
There will be three different pathways in senior secondary. The first is Arts & Sports which will include subjects in sport science, visual art and performing art. The second pathway is Social Sciences which will cover subjects in languages and literature, humanities and business studies.
The final pathway is Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) which entails pure science, applied science, technical and engineering studies. Students can however pursue two pathways and get access to more career opportunities in different fields.
The new enrolment will also get rid of the categorization of schools in terms of National Schools, Extra County Schools, and County Schools. Grade ten classes will be held in the existing high schools and will replace form one.
Currently, high schools have not enrolled any form one students and the 8-4-4 system is set to be discontinued in 2027 when the current form two class sit for their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination.
