Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has directed heads of schools to ensure that students sitting for their KCSE examinations have their applications for Universities or Colleges completed within the set time.
Magoha expressed concern that students could miss out on their preferred university courses if they failed to complete their applications on the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) portal.
"It is the teachers' responsibility to ensure that Form Four candidates are registered in the KUCCPS online portal for universities and colleges placement," Magoha stated.
The applications will be closed on March 31 with school principals tasked with creating an account for students’ placement to universities or colleges.
The current system does not allow individual students to make the application.
KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer Agnes Wahome noted that with the national examinations set to commence on March 26, the window was quickly coming to a close expressing concern that many candidates could be locked out.
"Some students head home after completing their KCSE examinations without selecting any course and this limits their choice when the portal opens for a first and second revision," she explained.
KUCCPS is the body charged with placing students in public universities once the KCSE results are released.
The cost of application at the school level is Ksh500, but the cost goes up to Ksh1,500 when submitting choices during the revision stage.
Over the last three years, however, KUCCPS data has revealed that 1.6 million KCSE candidates did not have their applications submitted with headteachers only submitting applications for 241,315 candidates across the country.
In 2020, the KUCCPS placement board made a resolution that all 2019 candidates who scored a grade of C+ and above could apply for universities as well as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.
Those who scored between C+ and E qualify for TVET courses and can access government sponsorship.
