Over 100,000 learners seek senior school placement review

By Newsflash Writer

More than 100,000 Grade 10 learners have applied to review their senior school placements, the Ministry of Education has confirmed, highlighting the first major test of the digital placement system under the new curriculum.

Speaking to reporters, Basic Education Principal Secretary Prof Julius Bitok said that since the online revision portal was launched, 2,000 transfers had already been approved yesterday.

“So far, more than 100,000 Grade 10 learners have applied, which is about 10 per cent of the expected applications. We experienced a slight slowdown in the morning due to bandwidth, but overall it’s performing well,” he said.

Online system aims to secure placements

Prof Bitok explained that the digital platform, which has 1.5 million school slots for 1.1 million learners, is designed to ensure every student secures a placement. The system allows parents and school administrators to request changes for learners dissatisfied with their initial school or pathway allocations.

He urged parents to exercise patience, noting that this is the first time the system is being used. “We want this transition to be as smooth as possible. We have seven days to complete the process, and the platform is available 24 hours a day.

So requests can be submitted anytime—morning or night. I want to ask everyone to be patient as we ensure that things are done properly. It is in the interest of our children to get it right. By January 12, all learners would have joined their respective schools,” he said.

To ensure efficiency, responsibilities have been delegated across multiple levels: Cluster One approvals are handled at the ministry headquarters, Cluster Two by regional directors, Cluster Three by county directors, and Cluster Four by sub-county directors. “There are those who are interested in changing from STEM to social sciences, others want to change from social sciences to STEM, and others want to change from STEM to arts and sports, and vice versa. We have requests across board and from all over the country. I’m also happy to note that even as we process these revisions, we have delegated responsibilities to our field officers,” he said during supervision at Naivasha Boys Boarding JSS.

Parents rush to revise placements

The revision exercise covers about 9,000 senior schools listed on the portal. Learners can select a maximum of four alternative schools to improve their chances of securing a preferred placement. For example, a learner initially placed at Kakamega High School can choose Alliance High School as the first option and list three other alternatives.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba encouraged parents to take advantage of the seven-day revision window. “Learners transiting to Grade 10, who were placed in schools that they do not like, have an opportunity to apply again. Or if they wish to change the schools they selected, they now have seven days to return to their junior schools or sub-county offices to re-apply,” he said.

The CS admitted that the first phase of placements exposed gaps, including technical challenges on the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS). “Because this is a new system, there were challenges here and there. But our teams are working to rectify them,” he said.

Hundreds of parents joined their Grade 9 pioneer graduates at schools like Shimo La Tewa Comprehensive, only to face technical failures as teachers tried to assist with placement revisions. Eugene Keke, whose son Jayson Righa (14) was placed at Bunyore Boys Secondary School, said: “I came to revise my son’s placement only to find the systems down. I will have to wait because this is very important. I want to secure my son’s future.”