Poor performers in KCPE turn tide to emerge stars

Education CS Amina Mohamed during the release of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) 2018 in Nairobi, on Friday, December 21 2018. [David Njaaga,Standard]

The Ministry of Education on Friday proved that the 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary school holds a lot of potential.

During the release of KCSE results in Nairobi, Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said that the ministry had gone a step further to analyse how students performed in KCSE and KCPE examinations. (See table on page 8)

“Our aim is to show the “value add” to candidates by schools depending on how much they improved,” said Amb Amina.

The analysis showed that the most improved student was Josphat Mwangi Kamau, of Mioro Secondary School in Muranga County.

Josphat who scored 278 marks in KCPE four years ago, made a remarkable improvement to score A- with performance index of 79.4 in KCSE. Four other students performed well in KCSE despite their poorshow in KCPE. Richard Kyulu was the second most improved student posting B+ in KCSE after scoring 257 in his KCPE.

Maingi George Mburu improved from 279 in KCPE to post a grade of B+, Wambui James Kamau scored B- after getting 186 marks in KCPE and Cheruiyot Gideon improved from 209 to a B.

Amina said that the analysis confirmed that every student, given the opportunity can perform better in secondary education. “The government’s 100 per cent transition is a brilliant policy that will give a second chance to candidates who may have lost out in the KCPE to realise their full potential."

The students will get university admission after surpassing the minimum entry grade of C+. Out of the 660,204 students who sat KCSE, 90,377 attained the entry grade to university, 20,000 more than last year’s 70,073.