Days after the release of the 2022 KCSE examinations, the call by education stakeholders for the government to reconsider the cut-off mark to accommodate more candidates into universities increased.
Out of the 841,416 candidates who sat for the 2022 KCSE exams, only 173,345 students scored C+ and above, according to Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu.
The figure denoted the number of students who automatically hit the minimum university entry mark. It, however, showed 668,071 candidates (79 percent) failed to attain the minimum entry slot.
The figures led to a push by parents for the government to lower the minimum entry grade to accommodate more students and subsequently achieve the 100 percent transition.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) CEO Agnes Wahome, however, dismissed the push and affirmed that it was not an option for the government to lower the education standard in the country.
She noted that candidates had the option of acquiring a degree course through a diploma. She added that universities had made it easier for students to achieve this.
Further, the KUCCPS boss affirmed that the government had in the past lowered the minimum entry mark to the current C+ requirement.
"No, we cannot lower the education standard to accommodate the majority. If you look, the number has been lowering in the past years. What we are doing is encouraging candidates to transition from diploma to degree and universities have made it easier for this to happen," she noted.
Wahome also affirmed that the expected timeline for KUCCPS to open the portal for the revision of courses would be from two to three weeks after the release of the national examinations.
"We usually get the results from the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) before we prepare the portal for revision of courses. So it takes two to three weeks after the release of the exams hence expect it around mid-February," she affirmed.
Established under the Universities Act, 2012, KUCCPS coordinates the placement of Government-sponsored students to Kenyan universities and colleges; develops and implements career guidance programmes as well as disseminates information on available university programmes.
