The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has announced that it will open its portal again for new applications.
KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer Dr. Agnes Wahome said that the move is meant to especially allow students who scored an E grade in the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) to apply for their preferred courses.
According to the CEO, the placement service received a low number of applications from the E students who ought to apply for programmes offered in government’s TVET institutions.
Therefore, Wahome announced that the portal will be opened again in one week’s time to accommodate those applications.
“Most of the students who qualified for TVET programmes had not applied by the time the KUCCPS application portal closed on March 4, 2024,
“The system will open again in about a week or two to mop up more applicants,” she said.
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KUCCPS CEO on TVET Applications
At the same time, the CEO detailed that TVET institutions had enough capacity to admit all C and E students in the 2023 examinations.
“While 688,591 Kenyan citizen students attained mean grades between C and E in the 2023 KCSE examination, TVET institutions have provided 790,479 admission slots for placement,
“Candidates who scored E in the 2023 KCSE examination were the most affected as a majority of them had not submitted application for placement,” she explained.
However, she also expressed concern about some of the TVET institutions, noting that some programmes offered were outdated.
For instance, she singled out the irrigation System Installation courses, which she noted none of the institutions offered despite Agriculture being a priority sector in the Government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
Also, she indicated that Media and communication courses in some of the institutions did not include drone photography or videography, that many events required.
“The CEO also observed that programmes offered in some institutions were not up to date with the current trends,” a statement from KUCCPS read in part.
Appeal to D and E Students
Earlier, Wahome pleaded with the D and E students to consult TVET institutions to make the right choices.
Also Read: KUCCPS 2024: Cheapest Degree Courses and Universities Offering Them
She indicated that KUCCPS had received higher applications for degree programs compared to technical and vocational courses.
As such, the KUCCPS CEO asked the D+ and E students to consult TVET institutions to make the right choices.
“The number of applicants selecting degree programs is higher than those applying for TVET courses so far. KUCCPS encourages those with mean grades between C and E to take advantage of the available TVET opportunities.
“Particularly, applicants with D+ and E are still very low, and we are encouraging them to apply. They should walk into their nearest TVET institution for assistance,” stated Macharia.
