Form One selection exercise was set to begin at the end of this week, particularly on May 28, but it has since been postponed.
The announcement came amid concerns that thousands of the 2020 KCPE class would miss their preferred secondary schools due to limited spaces in some of the country’s top institutions.
Professor Magoha has said the selection date will be announced to the public by about June 15.
“Form One selection is going to commence soon, and we shall announce to the public by about June 15…I want to further explain that there is no cause for alarm because we shall place every child in a secondary school…100% transition,” CS Magoha said on Monday.
Learners who sat the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination will now have to wait a little longer to know the secondary schools they will join.
Although Magoha did not give any cause for the postponement, he affirmed Kenyans that there is no cause for alarm. The exercise has been pushed to mid-next month with the CS stating that it will be free and fair.
Parents have however raised fears over a possible hitch in preparations for the reporting of 2020 KCPE candidates to secondary schools.
Speaking on Monday, Kenya Parents Association (KPSA) chairman Nicholas Maiyo said the change of the selection date will affect the parents’ preparations.
Maiyo said the period between the selection and the admission was too little in contrast to the demanding nature of admission to secondary schools, especially boarding schools.
“Parents need time to look for school fees and purchase other items that are required during the reporting of new students,” Maiyo said.
“The move by the education ministry is likely to cause anxiety and ill preparation.”
The CS spoke at Joseph Kangethe Primary School during the donation of 4,000 school bags and 20,000 masks by the Absa group to children from low-income households.
National schools are set to admit some 30,000 candidates while 123,400 slots have been identified in the extra-county schools. Placement to national schools will give preference to those with over 400 marks and the first five candidates in each sub-county across the nation.
Those from marginalized regions and affirmative action are also employed where vulnerable candidates will also be considered.
Another 142,358 slots have been set aside for the Form one admission while day schools, otherwise referred to as sub-county schools like it has been the tradition will carry the bulk of the admission.
The Education ministry conducts Form One selection for the KCPE candidates based on their school choices, performance, and affirmative action.
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
