What next for over 700,000 students who missed varsity grade?

 

Kipkenyo MCA David Leting (decorated) during a ceremony to celebrate his D minus in the 2024 KCSE on January 11, 2024. [Stephen Rutto, Standard]

More than 700,000 students who sat last year’s Form Four examination will miss out on university placement after falling short of the required entry mark of grade C plus and above.

Data from the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) shows that only 246,391 attained the entry points out of the 962,512 candidates who took the examination and received their results.

This now means that the students have been left with the option to enrol in diploma and certificate courses.

In the KCSE exams, 1,693 candidates scored the top grade of A, a significant increase from the 1,216 in 2023. 

Other top results included 7,743 scoring A minus, 19,150 with B plus, 43,120 achieving B plain, 75,347 scoring B minus, and 99,338 with C plus, marking the number of students who met the university entry mark.

This means that 712,537 candidates who sat for the 2024 KCSE scored below the university entry threshold. 

More than 75 per cent of the candidates will miss out on university placement.

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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 (D minus), and 48,333 (grade E).

However, there is a lifeline for these candidates as the ministry provides two avenues for the candidates.

First, the students will be eligible for enrollment in colleges and technical institutions for diploma and certificate courses. 

The candidates will also get a second chance after the Ministry of Education announced the introduction of a mid-year KCSE examination, set to take place annually in July.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the move is anchored on enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the national examination system.

It will give a chance to those who would wish to repeat class, ill candidates or those who may have missed the examination due to other challenges.

This comes as only three cohorts of KCSE candidates remain in secondary schools before the end of the 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.