Parents left stranded by Grade 10 new placement rules

By Newsflash Writer

Thousands of parents have been left in limbo as they try to secure admission for their children into preferred senior secondary schools after the Ministry of Education withdrew principals’ authority to approve placements.

It has emerged that secondary school heads are grappling with thousands of requests from unhappy parents whose children sat the inaugural Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and are now seeking transfers from the schools they were initially assigned.

Under the new policy framework, principals can no longer approve or decline admission and transfer requests, as all placement decisions have been fully centralised at the Ministry of Education.

Principals lose admission powers

With the revised rules now in force, learners dissatisfied with their placement are barred from directly engaging secondary school principals. Instead, they must return to their former junior secondary schools to lodge a transfer request, which is then submitted to the Ministry of Education for consideration and approval.

Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) chairman Willy Kuria said schools are also facing a major operational shift, as admission lists are now being issued without candidates’ academic performance records.

“The information we are receiving from the ministry does not include students’ marks. We therefore lack insight into the academic level or performance of the learners being admitted,” Kuria said.

In the past, principals were allowed to admit a limited number of students at the school level.

“When principals had room to admit a certain percentage, they were able to support the local community. Schools are rooted in communities, and when local families are excluded, community support for the institution can weaken,” he noted.

Kuria added that decentralised admissions also enabled schools to consider children of teachers, non-teaching staff, board of management members, and alumni—groups he said play a vital role in sustaining school operations.

Parents decry placement outcomes

The policy shift has coincided with mounting complaints from parents angered by placements into schools they neither selected nor preferred.

Some parents said they were unable to initiate transfer requests because school offices were closed, with headteachers advising them to wait until the following week despite strict appeal deadlines.

Others expressed frustration that high-performing learners had been posted to day schools well below their expectations, arguing that the outcome sends a discouraging signal that academic effort no longer translates into better opportunities.

These grievances have spilled onto the Ministry of Education’s social media platforms, where parents are demanding clearer communication, longer appeal timelines, and a more responsive transfer system.

On Saturday, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said approval of transfer requests will be guided by the category of school being sought. He explained that applications to National Schools, now classified as C1, will be processed and approved at the ministry’s headquarters.

Transfers to Extra-County schools, designated as C2, will instead be handled by Regional Directors of Education.

National Parents Association chairman Silas Obuhatsa said many parents are finding it difficult to even begin the appeals process.

“Parents are confused and frustrated. They selected schools based on their children’s abilities and family circumstances, yet the placements being released do not reflect those choices,” Obuhatsa said.

He warned that the new system could heighten anxiety among learners, particularly as reporting dates continue to draw nearer.