Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has said adult candidates who sat for the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) did not secure placements in any public secondary school.
While presiding over the 2024 Form One placement at Lenana School on Monday, Machogu said only the eligible 2023 KCPE Examination candidates have been placed in public secondary schools.
He said the over-age candidates will continue their education in Adult and Continuing institutions.
“I wish to announce that all the eligible 2023 KCPE Examination candidates have been placed in our public secondary schools,” said Machogu
“However, all over-age learners have been forwarded to the Directorate of Adult and Continuing Education for placement in Adult and Continuing Education institutions,” he added.
KNEC issues update on 2023 KCSE results release date
The CS maintained that the selection and placement of the other students were strictly guided by the principles of merit, choice, equity, affirmative action, and availability of space.
Some 1,400,329 students out of the 1,406 557 who took the KCPE examination have managed to secure placements in various high schools. According to the CS, 717,358 of the selected students are boys, and 682,971 are girls.
Machogu noted that 42,927 have been placed in national schools with 22,051 being boys and 20,876 girls. Those placed in Extra-County schools are 276,746, with 141,590 being boys and 133,156 girls.
Sub-county schools, on the other hand, recorded 792,230 students with 423,171 boys and 369,059 girls. A total of 28,052 candidates, however, did not make choices of schools in various categories, prompting the Education Ministry to place them in schools close to their former primary schools.
“This situation presented us with a dilemma, as we sought to ensure that every candidate had a placement that would enable them to continue their education seamlessly.”
“A decision was therefore reached to place these candidates in public sub-county secondary schools that were nearest to their former primary schools,” Machogu explained.
He noted that the official joining date for Form One will be on January 15, 2024.