The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has explained how Grade 9 learners who sit their Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) will be placed in Senior Secondary Schools.
KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njeng’ere while speaking during the release of KCSE 2024 results at Mitihani House in Nairobi on Thursday, January 9, 2025, made the explanation following the release of KJSEA sample papers.
The examinations council had earlier last week released the sample papers for 2025 which it said were uploaded on the Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) portal.
In a statement on Saturday, January 4, KNEC directed all schools to access the sample papers through the CBA portal.
Njeng’ere on Thursday retaliated that the papers were free warning against Kenyans selling them.
While explaining how the grade 9 learners will transition to Senior Secondary Schools, the CEO said that the process will be done through their respective school heads.
Also Read: KNEC Announces 2025 KCSE & KPSEA Registration Dates
KNEC CEO Explains how Grade 9 learners will be placed in Senior Secondary Schools
The candidates will be expected to provide information through online questionnaires sent to schools to get feedback on their interests and personality to form part of the crucial information to guide their placement in Senior Schools.
“KNEC has developed and uploaded sample papers of the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment and they are available on the KNEC CBA portal. KNEC will also be sending an online questionnaire to the candidates of the KJSEA through the schools to elicit feedback on their interest and preference which will form crucial information that the Ministry of Education will use to guide in their placement in senior secondary schools,” he said.
The KNEC CEO further said that that the registration portal for KJSEA will be opened from February 17.
KNEC projects that KJSEA will be administered to an estimated 1,145,585 learners who were in Grade 8 in 2024 and have now transitioned to Grade 9.
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The 2025 academic year will mark a significant change to the education system in Kenya, as for the first time in 39 years, there will be no Form one admissions in secondary schools following the abolishment of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE).
This is as the secondary schools prepare to host Grade 10, Grade 11 and Grade 12 learners under the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC), with the pioneer class reporting in 2026.
Also Read: KCSE 2024 Results Released- How to Check
The shift follows the phasing out of the 8-4-4 system in primary schools and the full CBC transition which is entering a new phase.
The transition brought an end to KCPE, replacing it with the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) for Grade 6 students moving into Junior Secondary School (JSS).
Pioneer class to sit KJSEA
After three years, students sit the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) before advancing to senior secondary school.
KNEC while releasing the KJSEA sample papers revealed that the available subjects for examination include Mathematics, English, Kiswahili, and Social Studies, Religious Education (C.R.E, I.R.E, and H.R.E).
Others include Integrated Science, Pre-Technical Studies, Agriculture and Nutrition, Creative Arts and Sports, and Kenyan Sign Language. Most of these subjects comprise two papers, namely Paper 1 and Paper 2.
For example, English, Kiswahili, Integrated Science, Pre-Technical Studies, Agriculture and Nutrition, Creative Arts and Sports, and Kenyan Sign Language each feature both Paper 1 and Paper 2.
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