Outlined Criteria Used For Placement To Senior Secondary School.Â
Outlined Criteria Used For Placement To Senior Secondary School. New Criteria for Senior School Placement in Kenya Revealed.
The Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in Kenya has introduced a structured approach to guide students into senior secondary school based on their strengths and career aspirations. At the core of this system is the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), which Grade 9 students will take to determine their path in senior secondary school.
According to Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang, students who excel in science and mathematics in the KJSEA will be eligible for the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) track. Other students will be placed in either the Social Sciences or the Arts and Sports track, depending on their assessment scores.
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Under this new assessment system, a student’s KJSEA score will be calculated from a combination of three key elements: 30% from the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) at the end of Grade 6, 20% from continuous assessments in Grades 7 and 8, and 60% from the Grade 9 KJSEA.
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The senior secondary school phase represents the final stage of basic education, where students are encouraged to explore their interests and strengths. PS Kipsang noted that this approach shifts the focus from selecting high-performing schools to finding pathways that align with students’ career interests and locating schools that offer those specific tracks.
With the first Grade 10 class set to begin in January 2026, the government plans to release further guidelines for placements early next year. The curriculum design for Grade 10 is currently underway, with educational materials and infrastructure, such as labs, in development.
This shift marks a departure from the old 8-4-4 system, aligning CBC’s stages of 6 years in primary, 3 years in junior secondary, and 3 years in senior secondary, before proceeding to university for those who pass the national Grade 12 exam.
