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You are to blame for missed slots, Kaimenyi tells top KCPE performers


Education Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi has blamed last year’s KCPE candidates for the admission bedlam that has seen many best performers miss slots in top schools.

In a remark that is likely to irk affected parents and pupils further, Prof Kaimenyi said the students missed out because they lacked “intelligence” in making selection.

He said most candidates choosing secondary schools needed to learn to spread their risks.

“I advise you to choose secondary schools intelligently. In the selection process, we found that the their first, second and third choices that the candidates made were very competitive, so they end up missing all the chances and admitted to district schools,” Prof Kaimenyi said on Friday after attending Kenya National Parents Association national delegates’ conference.

The Cabinet Secretary said when choosing national, county and sub county secondary schools, students should check the popularity of schools, and choose keenly, blending both competitive and unpopular schools.

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During the launch of Form One selection, the Director of Secondary and Tertiary Education Robert Masese said there was a tendency of all top students choosing specific schools such that the total number of applicants far much outweighed the available vacancies.

Prof Kaimenyi also defended the ministry’s move of having some candidates with 200 marks being admitted to national schools.

“In the district quota, we admitted top three girls and top three boys in every district to national schools, if a top student of a certain district had 200 marks, then they will end up in a national school, we need to give these children exposure to national schools,” said Prof Kaimenyi.

He also defended on the case of students being admitted to day schools far from their homes saying it was a deliberate effort by government to uplift the day schools.

“Some are saying with 401 marks they will not go to a day school, the teachers of all the institutions come from the same teachers’ training colleges, they have the same skills, we want to uplift competition in these day schools,” he said.