Form One placement results for Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates will be released next week, Education CS Prof George Magoha has announced.
The more than 1.2 million learners who sat the 2021 KCPE examinations will get to know the secondary schools they have been placed in on Monday April 11 or the following day.
“I want to check the results personally just to be sure that no one has corrupted them and that we have protected the weakest link,” said Prof Magoha.
He spoke at Kenya High in Nairobi, where he commissioned a Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) classroom for junior secondary students.
Prof Magoha reassured parents that all children who sat the KCPE examinations would have an equal chance to access national schools based on performance, choices and affirmative action.
According to the CS, Form One selection will be done on merit, where affirmative action will be applied to ensure all national schools have a national outlook.
He said no child will be disadvantaged in the placement process, and insisted that not all candidates who scored over 400 marks will get placement in national schools.
Prof Magoha said the selection criteria also favours candidates who sat the exam under disadvantaged conditions and scored high marks.
“We shall place the best of the best in national schools, but we shall apply affirmative action to ensure these schools represent the Kenyan fabric. A child who scores 399 in harsh environment is capable of doing better if they get equal opportunities as one in Nairobi,” the CS said.
He dismissed critics opposed to the selection formula and said some 9,000 government-sponsored Elimu Scholarships would benefit top scorers who lack capacities to join secondary schools.
“Out of the 9,000 slots, 4,000 will cater for disadvantaged children in urban slums and others will be fairly distributed across all the sub-counties,” he said.
The programme will benefit children from poor families who, in the past, have been elbowed aside and their chances sold to rich families.
“We’ll be very fair in this exercise and you’ll hear a lot of noise from people who are used to those unfair placement schemes. I’m more attracted to that child from slums who has scored reasonably well and has no capacity to join a good school,” Prof Magoha added.
The CS also announced that KCSE results will be released by the end of April.
“We must deliver credible exams that put all the students on an equal pedestal. Anyone who dares mess with their integrity will face the law.
“Anybody who was found to aid in exam cheating shall be punished according to the Kenya National Examination Council’s laws. Students who were involved in exam cheating will also have a price to pay because nobody forced you to steal,” he warned.