The Principal Secretary for Basic Education, Julius Bitok, has announced that the government plans to extend the deadline for Grade 10 placement to accommodate learners who have yet to report to their assigned schools.
The current deadline remains January 16, but consultations are ongoing to allow latecomers additional time.
Speaking during a monitoring exercise in Nairobi, the PS expressed satisfaction with the progress of the transition process.
Grade 10 Placement Plans
According to PS Bitok, the nationwide transition from junior to senior school is proceeding smoothly, with field officers deployed to support parents and learners.
“We are confident that by the end of this process, all students will have been placed successfully,” he stated.
He urged schools and education officers to utilize weekends to admit learners, stressing that the government expects a 100 percent transition rate.
Kenya currently has 1.5 million available spaces in senior schools against 1.1 million learners, ensuring that every student has a placement.
Bitok noted that while some students report early, others delay or arrive late.
To address this, the ministry is weighing an extension of the reporting deadline.
“We are thinking of actually extending the deadline a little bit to accommodate those who come in late,” he stated.
Bitok added that the final decision will be communicated after consultations with other officials, and encouraged learners to report immediately, pointing out that the deadline on January 16 should be strictly adhered to and parents should not take any more time.
Digital Placement System Efficiency
The PS highlighted the efficiency of the digital placement system, which allows parents and students to confirm school assignments via SMS to 22263 or through the online portal.
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Learners can download admission letters, fee structures, and guidelines from the platform. Bitok assured the public that all 1.1 million learners have been placed, despite ongoing requests for school changes.
The revision window, according to the Ministry of Education, remains open until January 16.
Addressing concerns about uneven reporting across school clusters, Bitok revealed that 42 percent of students who have reported so far are in Cluster 4 schools, which have the highest capacity.
He dismissed claims of confusion in placement, attributing delays to high demand for a few elite institutions.
“More than 50,000 Grade 10 learners are interested in only 20 schools, which is impossible because these schools are already full,” he explained.
The ministry has also warned principals against introducing illegal levies.
Bitok affirmed that quality assurance officers are monitoring compliance and that stern action will be taken against any school imposing unauthorized charges.
Parents seeking additional fees must follow formal procedures through county education boards.
Teachers Prepared for Transition
On teacher preparedness, Bitok said the government has retooled 229,000 teachers to deliver the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
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He acknowledged gaps in specialized areas such as metalwork, woodwork, and foreign languages but assured that efforts are underway to build capacity through partnerships with universities and colleges.
“We are confident that this competence-based education is what is going to transform Kenya from third world to first world. Every learner has a school. There’s no learner who doesn’t have a school. Let us work together to ensure a smooth transition.”
Teachers are dissatisfied with the Grade 10 transition due to inadequate training, insufficient infrastructure, staff shortages, unclear assessment and placement guidelines, and increased workload. Many feel the rollout was rushed, leaving schools unprepared to deliver pathway-based senior secondary education effectively under the CBC.
