Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has explained how the new Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) grading system works.
Speaking during an event of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) on Monday, Kipsang noted that the new grading system will be concentrated on five core subjects relevant to a student's specialisation.
He added that the system will focus on a student's literacy and numeracy abilities.
The five subjects will form the cluster, a departure from the current cluster calculation which takes into account all the subjects pursued by a student.
“A student with the ability and interest in medicine or engineering need not be prevented from qualifying for the courses just because a subject that was used to grade him pulled down his overall Mean Grade,” stated the PS.
The new change was in line with the finding of the taskforce which required a change in the grading system of the national examinations.
He added that the current grading system was designed for certification and may have disadvantaged some students looking to pursue specialised careers.
"The current policy thrust of education is not only keen on ensuring that all children attend school," the PS added.
"It is also much keen, if not keener, that all children get optimal learning experience regardless of their social background, physical or mental condition."
In the CBC taskforce recommendations, the team asked President William Ruto to scrap the categorisation of secondary schools.
Instead, the taskforce advocated for secondary schools to be categorised under the career pathway of learners. Students would thus choose schools based on the subjects offered and their dream careers.
The Working Party, led by Raphael Munavu, also proposed that the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) be renamed Kenya National Assessment Council (KNAC).
To ensure quality, the team led by Raphael Munavu also recommended that the Ministry should shift focus from mandatory subjects to give students leeway of choosing the subjects they are interested in.
Currently, students in Junior High School are expected to study 14 subjects.
