Shock of 700,000 students who missed university entry mark
National
By
Lewis Nyaundi
| Jan 11, 2025
It has now emerged that over 700,000 students who sat the 2024 KCSE exams missed the university entry mark of grade C+(Plus) and above.
Data from the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) shows that only 246,391 attained the university entry points out of the 962,512 candidates who sat for the examinations.
This now means that the students will enroll for diploma and certificate courses in colleges and technical institutions.
According to Knec 1,693 candidates scored A (plain), a significant increase from 1,216 in 2023.
Other top results included 7,743 students scoring A-, 19,150 with B+, 43,120 achieving B (plain), 75,347 B- (minus), and 99,338 C+ (plus), marking the number of students who met the university entry mark.
This means that 712,537 candidates did not attain the university entry mark representing 75 per cent of the total number that sat for the exams.
These include 111,717 students who scored C (plain), 118,781 with C- (minus), 128,885 with D+ (plus), 153,334 with D (plain), 151,487 with D- (minus), and 48,333 with an E.
However, the candidates will also get a second chance if they wish to retake the exams after the Ministry of Education announced the introduction of a mid-year KCSE examination, set to take place annually in July.
Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba said the move is anchored on enhancing efficiency and effectiveness of the national examination system.
It will give a chance to those who wish to repeat class, ill candidates, or those who may have missed the examination due to other challenges.
This comes as only three cohort of KCSE candidates remain in secondary schools before the end of 8-4-4 education system in the country.
"Starting this year and following extensive stakeholder consultations, I wish to announce that the Kenya National Examination Council will introduce a mid-year series of the KCSE examination to be administered in July every year," he said.
"The examination will target candidates wishing to repeat the KCSE examination and those who may have missed sitting the examinations due to sickness or other unexpected issues."
Additionally, the mid-year examinations seek to consider adult candidates.
This move is seen as a step towards accommodating diverse student needs, making education more accessible, and promoting a fairer assessment system for all.
The new mid-year KCSE exams will offer an alternative for those who might otherwise have had to wait until the following year to sit the examination.
Traditionally, the KCSE examination has been done at the end of every year across all secondary schools in the country.