The government has assured integrity in Form One placement, noting that top pupils in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam will be placed in secondary schools of their choice.
Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha yesterday said that the selection criteria will take into account affirmative action and geographical distribution.
He said the process is already underway and will see learners who sat the 2021 KCPE examination placed in national, extra county, county, and sub-county schools.
“Affirmative action will take into account the geographical distribution of this country.
Children from the northern region must be represented in national schools.
To do that, God and the government have given us the powers to be fair,” said Magoha.
Speaking on the sidelines of a Surgical Society of Kenya conference in Mombasa, the CS said that no one was going to interfere with the placement of students.
“National schools should be national, with students from each region represented.
The top students from each region will be equally distributed to the national schools,” said Magoha.
“I am going to take the map of Kenya and look at it and decide I want X number of students from each region to join school Y.”
Additionally, Magoha said the selection criteria will not discriminate against well-performing students, especially those in slums and arid and semi-arid areas.
“We will ensure that all children are given equal, fair, and just treatment, including children in the slums and those in far-flung arid and semi-arid areas where we have always had affirmative action”, said the CS.
He added that all the 1.2 million candidates who sat the examination would be placed in the secondary schools they chose, if possible. “Where the chances are limited, merit will prevail.”
Some 11,857 candidates scored 400 and above, 315,275 had 300-399 marks, another 578,197 had 200-299 marks, 307,532 had 100-199 marks while 1,170 had between 0-99 marks.
They are all expected to join secondary schools under the 100 percent transition policy.
“We will place you where you belong in terms of your selection. There will be no interference at all,” he added.
Students picked 11 schools of their choice — four national, three extra-county, two counties, and two sub-county schools. They will know the schools they have been placed in two weeks.
