Overage Students Locked Out Of Form One Placement: CS Machogu Explains Why

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu on Monday, December 18 announced that overaged students who sat for the 2023 KCPE examinations will not secure placements in secondary schools.

Speaking at Lenana School in Nairobi, where he presided over the placement exercise, the CS revealed that the learners would be placed in specialised institutions known as Adult and Continuing institutions.

“I wish to announce that all the eligible 2023 KCPE Examination candidates have been placed in our public secondary schools. However, all over-age learners have been forwarded to the Directorate of Adult and Continuing Education for placement in Adult and Continuing Education institutions,” said Machogu.

What is the Directorate of Adult and Continuing Education?

The Directorate is responsible for the coordination and management of programmes and activities in adult education. Specifically, the Directorate's functions are to;

• Formulate and implement ACE Policies
• Promote multiple literacy through alternative provision of basic adult education programmes
• Provide Education through alternative education approaches
• Promote general Adult Education programmes
• Provision of Basic literacy to out-of-school children
• Coordination of the implementation of Nomadic Education and Alternative Basic Education and Training in Kenya
• Provision of Alternative Education to Marginalized, hard-to-reach and vulnerable groups
• Development of guidelines on competencies in Alternative Basic Education programmes
• Manage ACE Assessments and Examinations
• Governance and Management of Alternative Basic Education Centres
• Development of ACE programmes
• Enhance community empowerment programmes through partnerships and collaboration with all stakeholders
• Development of ACE Instructional Materials
• ACE Teacher Management
• Management of strategic partnerships and linkages
• Enhance Governance and Management of MDTIs
• Advise the Minister on matters relating to teachers for Alternative Basic Adult & Continuing Education.

Adult and Continuing Education

Adult and continuing education (ACE) is considered very important for national development. ACE is provided by the government, faith-based organizations and NGOs.

The Board of Adult Education, which is established by an Act of Parliament, coordinates all forms of adult education in the country.  

Meanwhile, Education CS clarified that the selection and placement of the other students were strictly guided by the principles of merit, choice, equity, affirmative action, and availability of space.

In the placement, all candidates who scored 400 Marks and above were placed in either the National or Extra County schools of their choice.

Similarly, all other candidates were placed in county or sub-county schools, according to the parameters set. Learners with special needs were placed either in regular or Special Needs schools based on their disability categories, merit, and choice.

However, Machogu noted that 28,052 candidates did not make choices of schools in various categories, comprising National 222, Extra County 4,837, County 8,716 and Sub-county 14,277.

“This situation presented us with a dilemma, as we sought to ensure that every candidate had a placement that would enable them to continue their education seamlessly. A decision was therefore reached to place these candidates in public sub-county secondary schools that were nearest to their former primary schools,” the Education CS stated.

The candidates, who wrote their examinations a month ago, are set to join Form One in their respective schools on January 15, 2024.

Read also: Form One Placement: Top 10 Schools & How To Check Results For 2023 KCPE Candidates

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu (left) and Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang arrive for the release of 2024 Form One placement results at Lenana School on December 18, 2023. /MINISTRY OF EDUCATION