The reporting date for Form One learners has been changed from May 3 to May 4, 2022.
Basic Education Permanent Secretary Julius Jwan said in a memo on Wednesday that this is by dint of Tuesday, May 3 being declared a holiday.
In a gazette notice on Tuesday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i declared May 3 a public holiday to mark Eid al Fitr.
Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting.
"Consequently, it has been decided that the reporting date for Form One students will be from 4th May, 2022," Jwan said.
The memo was addressed to regional and county education directors who he directed to ensure the changes are communicated to all schools across the country.
Over 1.2 million learners are expected to join secondary schools following completion of their 2021 KCPE exams in early March.
Education CS George Magoha said all learners who sat the examination will secure Form One places in line with government's 100 per cent transition.
Some 38,797 KCPE candidates will be enrolled in national schools, 214,960 in extra county schools while 258,456 will join county schools.
Another 726,311 students will be enrolled in subcounty schools while 2,045 have been placed in special needs schools.
Magoha warned headteachers against imposing unwarranted demands on Form One students when they report.
He sent out a stern warning to school heads, accusing them of denying deserving students admission because of random items that are not approved by the ministry.
These include fulscarps, mathematical sets, exercise books, novels, class readers or set books, atlases and photocopying papers.
Magoha also banned schools from asking learners to report with items like hockey sticks, machetes (pangas) and hoes (jembes) which he said are not academic related.
According to the CS, the move is in tandem with the government's goal to protect parents from being overburdened by unnecessary expenses and to make basic education affordable.
