This archive report was first published on 3 December 2019.
Kenya: KCPE Stars Miss Dream Schools Amid High Demand ¶
Published on December 3, 2019
Kenya's top-scoring students in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations are facing disappointment after missing out on their preferred schools due to high demand and limited spaces.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha attributed the decision to place 30,000 candidates in schools they did not choose to the lack of schools in counties where the candidates sat the examination.
Magoha blamed the candidates' bad choices, with many opting for the 18 elite national schools while giving 85 newly-upgraded institutions a wide berth.
"I wish to ask parents, guardians, and teachers to work closely with candidates during the selection process to ensure they make the right choices," Magoha said.
The top 20 students were all placed in national schools, with Alliance High School and Alliance Girls School, Kenya High School, and Mang'u High School taking the lion's share.
Several students were also placed in schools of the opposite gender, raising concerns about the placement process.
Among the disappointed top scorers was Roy Koome, who scored 433 marks and emerged the best performer in Meru County. He was invited to join Friends School, Kamusinga, instead of his first choice, Mang'u High School.
"I am delighted with the marks and hope that I will join Mang'u High School, which has always been my dream school," Koome said when he received his results two weeks ago.
However, his dream was shattered when the selection results were released.
"I was really disappointed as I never expected that my school dream will not come true," said 14-year-old Daniel Kanyotu Njuguna, the top candidate at Michinda Boys Primary School in Elburgon.
He had emerged the best candidate at the school by scoring 416 marks and hoped to join Mang'u High School.
"I want a better school outside this region. I want a place that will challenge my intelligence and push me harder to achieve my dreams, and Bura is just not the place," said Fatuma Habona, 15, who scored 406 marks and was selected to join Bura Girls School in Taita-Taveta County.
Her parents said that since receiving the notification, she has done nothing but cry and pray for a change of things.
Director of Secondary Education Paul Kibet assured parents that the ministry will listen to their concerns and set up a desk at the ministry headquarters to address challenges that may arise.
A total of 1,083,456 candidates sat the KCPE exams this year, out of which 1,075,201 have been placed in secondary schools.
