With the introduction of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), the Ministry of Education has streamlined the process for transferring learners from one school to another.
Transfers are now managed either manually through education offices or digitally via the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) portal.
Parents and guardians are required to follow a structured process to ensure that the movement of learners is orderly and properly documented.
At the same time, parents should note that no transfers are permitted at Grade 6, as learners at this level are preparing for the end-of-year summative assessment.
The transfer form must be fully completed by the student, capturing key details such as their name, admission number, class/form, address, date of birth, KCPE index number (if they have one), year of examination, marks, current school, and the school to which transfer is being requested.
How to Transfer Schools Under CBC
Through the portal, individual transfers are done by logging into https://cba.knec.ac.ke, selecting “Transfer Learner,” choosing the Grade or Level, searching for the learner by name or assessment number, and entering the code of the receiving school before confirming the transfer.
For mass transfers, the “Mass Transfer” button is used, where the transferring and receiving school codes are entered, the list of learners is displayed, and those being moved are selected before clicking the transfer button.
It is important to note that Sub-County Directors of Education can only authorize transfers within their own sub-counties.
For manual transfers within a sub-county, a parent or guardian is required to obtain four copies of the Transfer and Admissions Form from the Sub-County Director of Education’s office.
Also Read: CBC Confusion: Grade 9 Crisis and Case of Incompetence Based Curriculum
Process of School Transfer Explained
The learner fills out the form, which is then taken to the receiving principal to confirm the availability of a vacancy.
It is then taken to the releasing school for clearance, and later to the releasing Sub-County Director of Education for approval, where one copy is retained.
The form is then taken to the receiving Sub-County Director of Education for confirmation, where two copies are left.
The remaining signed copy is then submitted to the receiving school.
When a transfer involves moving from one county to another, the procedure remains largely the same, but it requires authorization from the County Director of Education.
Transfer Model
Similarly, learners transferring across regions must obtain approval from the Regional Coordinator of Education, while transfers between national schools are authorized by the Director of Secondary Education and Special Programs.
Parents should note that, as per the Basic Education Act (2003), no fee is payable for transfers. They must provide a convincing reason for the transfer and ensure that any outstanding fee balances are cleared at the releasing school.
In cases where learners are transferring within the CBC pathway, the process also requires the releasing head teacher to write a formal release letter, which must contain the learner’s assessment number as registered in the KNEC database.
The receiving head teacher must then issue an acceptance letter to the Sub-County Director of Education, who will facilitate the digital transfer via the KNEC CBA portal.
Also Read: Explained: How TVET Students Can Register for KNEC Exams
Detailed Summary
In summary, the process is as follows
1. Transfers Within the Same Sub-County
- Collect four copies of the Transfer and Admissions Form from the Sub-County Director of Education’s office.
- The student fills in the form.
- Take the form to the receiving school principal to confirm a vacancy.
- Present the form to the releasing school for clearance.
- Submit it to the releasing Sub-County Director of Education for approval (leave one copy at the office).
- Take it to the receiving Sub-County Director of Education for confirmation (leave two copies there).
- Submit the remaining signed copy to the receiving school.
2. Transfers Across Counties
- Follow the same steps as above.
- Approval is done by the County Director of Education of the respective counties.
3. Transfers Across Regions
- The same procedure applies.
- Approval is given by the Regional Coordinator of Education.
4. Transfers Between National Schools
- Authorization is done by the Director of Secondary Education and Special Programs.
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