A total of 31,337 candidates out of the 1,032,334 million who sat this year’s KCPE exam will be placed in national schools next year, Education CS Amina Mohammed said on Monday.
The number includes all the 12,222 candidates who scored 400 marks and above, 19 special needs candidates and the top five candidates of either gender from every subcounty.
“Their placement will be subject to the choices they made during registration for KCPE, where possible,” Amina said.
She spoke during the launch of the selection exercise. Amina said another 128,838 will get slots in extra-county schools, 148,215 will go to county schools, while 722,318 will join subcounty schools. Some 1,626 others will undertake special needs education.
While launching the selection at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, the CS said the number excludes refugees, adult learners, absentee candidates, private candidates above the age of 18 and inmates.
“Inmates will continue with their education through the adult education programme in prisons (while) absentee candidates will be given an opportunity to register and take the examination next year,” Amina said.
The CS said there are 12,045 places available for refugees in Kakuma and Dadaab, while 356 centres with a capacity of 11,500 spaces will cater for adult learners and private candidates above the age of 18.
The selection team comprises officers from the ministry, the Kenya National Examinations Council and the ICT Authority.
The exercise will proceed to the regional level on Wednesday.
The reporting dates for all Form Ones in all categories of schools shall be January 7, 2019 and not later than January 11.
The 2018 KCPE candidates are the second cohort of students to be admitted to secondary schools under the government’s 100 per cent transition policy.
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Amina said the ministry, together with other arms of government, is determined to address teenage pregnancies, early marriages, insecurity, inhibitive cultural practices, indirect costs of secondary education and extreme poverty which have been identified as a hindrance to achieving the 100 per cent transition.
“We must all recognise that the issue of teenage pregnancies is a moral issue with heavy implications for basic and lifelong learning. It is a multi-sectoral challenge that calls for the attention of all government agencies, the public and civil society. We must all become part of the solution,” Amina said.
During the three-day period that candidates sat the KCPE exam, nearly 30 pupils gave birth across the country.
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Amina asked school Heads to enhance support services to help young mothers focus on learning and minimise destruction.
“Further, I am directing education officials in all counties to map out the 2018 KCPE candidates who became mothers in the course of the year and make special arrangements for them to transition to Form One,” Amina said.
Under the free day secondary education programme, the government will foot tuition in public day secondary schools at Sh22,244 per annum.
Parents and guardians whose children will be enrolled in public boarding schools are only required to top up fees for boarding facilities.