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The placement process for 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination candidates will start on November 27 and conclude within a period of two weeks.

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu yesterday said this will allow parents adequate time to prepare children to join Form One in January.

“The ministry will offer Form One placement opportunities to all the candidates who sat the examination in our public and private secondary schools,” Machogu said. “Already, the ministry has developed a fair and transparent system for Form One placement that will ensure national, regional and socio-economic balance is achieved.”

He urged parents and other stakeholders to ensure all learners transit to secondary school so as to complete their basic education, which is critical to their survival and also beneficial for the country’s development and growth.

This is the last 8-4-4 class, which will see them sit their Form Four exam in 2027 and the country will be under Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

The CS assured the government is fully prepared and committed to a seamless transition from 8-4-4 to CBC.

He said many of the issues that were previously unclear in this transition process have now been solved through the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms report.

“Currently, we are preparing a Sessional Paper, and necessary draft legislation, for submission to Parliament for consideration. Once passed, the documents will anchor most of recommendations of the Presidential Working Party Report,” said the CS.

As per schedule, the first cohort of CBC learners will transition to Grade Eight in January.

Quality learning

“All education indicators show that the cohort is undergoing quality learning and teaching. I wish to assure the country that all curriculum materials are in place to support the learners,” the CS stated.

According to the CS, the fact that the 2023 KCPE examination cohort was the last under the 8-4-4 has given the Government’s 100 per cent transition policy from primary to secondary school level greater importance. “We are all aware that any candidate who would fail to transition to Form One will not have any opportunity to repeat a class as was the case in the past, owing to the end of the KCPE examination,” Machogu said.

Aware of this, the Ministry of Education ensured that all learners who were in Class 8 sat the 2023 examinations even in cases where they had not been registered.

As a result, 205 candidates who had not been registered took advantage of the registration waiver to sit the examination.

They are among those whose results were released and will have an opportunity to join Form One next year.