The Deputy Director of Education Ministry of Education, Fred Odhiambo, has outlined the criteria that the ministry will follow in the placement of learners in Grade 10.
Speaking on Wednesday, April 23, Odhiambo said that the selection of senior schools for Grade 10 learners will be categorised based on the pathways and accommodation, which are day and hybrid senior schools, gender, and special needs.
Learners, who are the current cohort of Grade 9, are expected to transition to Grade 10 in 2026, which marks the start of the senior school phase under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Under CBC, the placement process of Grade 10 learners is based on their performance in the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA), which they are set to undertake between October 27 and November 5, and their chosen career pathways. The three pathways include Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); Arts and Sports Science; and Social Sciences.
Senior schools under CBC are categorised as either triple pathway schools, which will offer all the pathways, or dual pathways, which offer STEM, arts and sports science, or social sciences.
According to Odhiambo, learners will select 12 schools for their chosen pathways as follows: four schools in the first-choice track and subject combination, four schools in the second-choice subject combination, and four schools in the third-choice subject combination.
Out of the 12 schools selected by the learners, nine should be boarding schools – three from the learners' home county and six should be outside their home county – while three should be day schools in their home sub-county.
According to Odhiambo, the placement of learners into Grade 10 next year will be based on five different factors.
Top of the list is the learners' choice. The ministry will consider the learners' choice of pathways, tracks, subject combinations, and schools.
Second is the merit, where the ministry will consider the learner's academic performance in his/her Grade 9 assessment.
The third is psychometric tests, which include the learner's aptitude, interest, and talent identification, which will be done by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and the schools.
Fourth in the list is equity, where learners will be placed in schools based on regional balancing to ensure that all learners have fair access to institutions across the country.
Lastly, the body will place a learner based on a chosen school's resources and space.
