Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has assured Kenyans of integrity in the form-one placement for 2021 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) students when the process begins in two weeks’ time.
Magoha said most of the pupils will proceed to the schools they picked during their selection and to those who will go to the ones they did not pick, then they would have not listed them as their first choices.
The CS said learners will also be placed in national, extra-county, county and sub county schools based on the performance.
He also announced that the selection criteria will be based on affirmative action taking into account geographical distribution countrywide.
“We have to ensure that there is affirmative action which takes into account the geographical distribution of this country, therefore children from the Northern region must also be represented in all areas of national schools and in order to do that God and the government has given us the powers to be fair,” said Magoha.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing surgical society of Kenya conference, Magoha said the selection criteria will not discriminate against well performing students especially those in the Kenyan slums and in the Arid and semi-arid areas.
“We shall ensure that all Kenyan children are given equal, fair and just treatment including those children in the slums and those in far flung arid and semi-arid areas, where we have always had affirmative action, “said Magoha.
Magoha said all the 1.2 million candidates who sat for this year’s KCPE examination will be placed in secondary schools they chose, and where the chances are limited, merit will prevail.
“We will place you where you belong in terms of your selection of schools and there will be no interference at all,” he added.
And as the country prepares to usher in junior secondary schools in the new system, the CS is now challenging private schools in the country to create stand-alone junior secondary schools so that they can ease the burden from the government.
“Private owners of schools should not always look at the profit margin, and create a stand-alone junior secondary school that will help us to reduce the pressure and I hope that they will take that with the humility that it deserves,” asked Magoha.
At the same time the CS said the return of secondary school games will probably kick off next term owing to the relaxation of Covid-19 protocols.
“I will consult the health minister and most likely as we open for the New Year we shall relax that aspect because we feel that we are safe enough to résumé sports,” said Magoha.
Magoha also said those who attempted to breach exam integrity in the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), will be subjected to very punitive disciplinary action.
“Those who have attempted to breach the exam integrity, we are catching them and they will be subject to a very severe action by the government,” said Magoha.
By Chari Suche
