The Ministry of Education has issued a fresh update on applications for senior school transfers, allowing learners who sat the KJSEA examination and are transitioning to Grade 10 to revise their senior school choices.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, December 27, 2025, Basic Education Principal Secretary Professor Julius Bitok revealed that out of the 183,000 applications processed so far, 116,000 have been approved.
“Out of the 183,000 applications that have been processed, 116,000 have been approved, while 66,000 have been declined. That is the position we have now,” PS Bitok said.
MoE to Give Learners Another Opportunity to Revise Senior School Choices
He added that learners will be given another opportunity to revise their choices once the first phase ends, noting that several C1 senior schools in remote areas have not attracted enough applicants. The Ministry, he said, is considering measures to ensure balanced placement across all C1 schools nationwide.
“We are thinking of opening a second revision window between January 6 and January 9 to allow learners to apply to schools that have not attracted enough students,” he said.
At the same time, PS Bitok explained that most of the rejected applications were from learners seeking placement in C1, formerly national or top-tier senior schools, where capacity remains limited.
Also Read: List of Approved Humanities and Business Studies Textbooks for Grade 10 Learners in Senior Schools
He noted that while there are 262 C1 senior schools across the country, demand is heavily concentrated in about 20 top-tier institutions, making placement highly competitive.
“The main reason we are declining most of the requests is capacity. More than 50,000, even up to 60,000 students are interested in about 20 schools, each with a capacity of around 500 students. It is not possible to place all learners there, which is why we ask some to consider other C1 school options,” PS Bitok said.
Additionally, the PS said learners will begin accessing and downloading their admission letters from December 28, after the first revision phase ends.
About Competency-Based Education Curriculum
Pathway selection under the new Competence-Based Curriculum (CBE) allows students to choose educational pathways that correspond with their demonstrated skills, interests, and aspirations.
The options available for selection are: (i) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), (ii) Social Sciences, and (iii) Arts and Sports. Learners are provided with 12 choices to make for their preferred senior schools (Grade 10), ranging from C1 to C4.
The options provide learners with a platform to select schools that match their competencies, preferences, and the institutions’ capacities.
This pathway selection exercise was concluded earlier in 2025, with each learner, under the guidance of the Ministry of Education, State Department for Basic Education, parents, and teachers, selecting a pathway featuring a three-subject combination.
Also Read: EXPLAINED: Number of Subjects to Be Taught in Senior Schools and Weekly Lesson Hours [Full List]
To assess learners’ competencies, CBE relies on formative and summative assessments on a 20-20-60 percent basis. 40% of the assessment is formative, based on the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) in grade 6, while another 20% is based on teachers’ continuous assessment in grades 7 and 8.
The remaining 60 percent is obtained through the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) administered in Grade 9.
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Can they mentions those C1 schools that haven’t got enough applicants so we can take our children there🤔