More than 100,000 grade 10 learners have applied for a review of their senior secondary school placements under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). The Ministry of Education confirmed receiving over 100,000 requests on the first day of a seven-day review window, approving only about 2,000. Parents and learners complain that the automated system overlooked affordability, proximity to home, and family circumstances.
Grade 10 students are expected to report to their senior schools starting January 12, with parents having seven days to review their children's placements. The automated system used in this transition under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) considered students' choices, academic performance, and available school slots, designed to promote merit, equity, and fairness.
However, parents and learners argue that the outcomes ignored affordability, proximity to home counties, and practical family circumstances. One parent lamented being unable to afford the fees at the assigned school. Another noted that students placed far from their home counties would face extra costs for transport and accommodation, making attendance difficult despite securing a place.
Additionally, some students were placed in pathways that parents say do not match the learner's strengths or expectations, revealing gaps in understanding CBC pathways during school selection. In an address to learners and parents on December 23, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba urged parents to use the seven-day window to revise school placement choices.
“Any parent who feels their child was not placed in the right pathway or school has another opportunity, for the next seven days, to make changes,” Ogamba said, adding that the ministry has sufficient capacity to accommodate all learners. Education stakeholders in Elgeyo Marakwet County welcomed the placement-changing window, saying it would help parents better understand school pathways under CBC and allow students to join institutions suiting their abilities and interests.
Given the high number of requests, the placement process failed to align with the lived realities of many learners and families, despite its technical efficiency.
