The Cabinet Secretary for Education (CS) Julius Ogamba has extended the deadline for the admission of Grade 10 learners amid concerns over thousands of learners who were yet to report.
In an interview with Nation on January 16, CS Ogamba confirmed that the Grade 10 admission deadline has been extended to Wednesday, January 21.
The extension is part of the government’s drive to achieve a 100 percent transition to senior school under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.
“We have found it necessary to extend the Grade 10 admission deadline to Wednesday next week to ensure no learner is left out, except in critical cases involving clear placement errors,” Ogamba said.
The decision follows data showing that about 830,000 Grade 10 learners have yet to report to their assigned senior schools.
CS Julius Ogamba Extends Grade 10 Admission Deadline
According to Ministry of Education figures, only 301,701 learners had reported to school by midweek, representing just over a quarter of the 1,130,701 candidates who sat the 2025 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA).
Of those who had reported, 151,740 were boys (50.3%), while 149,961 were girls (49.7%).
The ministry opened a review window that attracted applications from more than 300,000 learners seeking to have their scores reassessed.
In his update, CS Ogamba said the review process is still ongoing and was initially expected to conclude on Friday, but not all decisions have been finalized.
He explained that this delay has contributed to the slow reporting, and the ministry is working to complete the review so learners can proceed to their assigned schools.
Also Read: Govt Issues Update on Grade 10 Placement Deadline
Grade 10 Placement Plans
On January 15, the Principal Secretary for Basic Education, Julius Bitok, stated that the nationwide transition from junior to senior school is proceeding smoothly, with field officers deployed to support parents and learners.
He urged schools and education officers to utilize weekends to admit learners, stressing that the government expects a 100 percent transition rate.
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.
Also Read: KNEC Reveals the Assessment Grade 10 Learners Will Start In Their First Term
Bitok further assured the public that all 1.1 million learners have been placed, despite ongoing requests for school changes.
Addressing concerns about uneven reporting across school clusters, Bitok revealed that 42% 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.
On teacher preparedness, Bitok said the government has retooled 229,000 teachers to deliver the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
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.
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