MoE releases guidelines for Grade 10 learner placement, taking U-turn on Mathematic choice
The Ministry of Education (MoE) has announced the criteria that will govern the placement of Grade 10 learners under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Senior school, encompassing Grades 10 to 12, will officially commence in January 2026, signifying the transition for the inaugural Grade 9 cohort.
Speaking on Wednesday, the MoE Deputy Director, Fred Odhiambo, stated that there will be four classifications of senior schools, which include pathways, accommodation, gender, and special needs.
The pathways are categorized into two; double pathways representing Science Technology Engineering, Mathematics, and Arts and Sports Science (STEAMS) on one side, and triple pathways senior schools which include STEM, Arts and Sports, and Social Sciences.
The accommodation category will encompass day senior schools for those who commute from home daily and hybrid senior schools for learners who either reside in the school or not.
According to the guidelines, there will be two divisions based on gender, comprising Single Sex (girls-only schools and boys-only schools) and mixed-sex where both genders are admitted.
The Special Needs category will be categorized into Special Needs for school—Hearing, Visual, and Physically impaired—and Vocational senior schools which involve learners with autism, cerebral palsy, cognitive difficulties, and deaf-blindness.
Regarding pathway selection, the learner will select 12 schools for their preferred pathway, consisting of four schools in the first choice track and subject combination, four schools in the second choice subject combination, while the remaining four will be allocated to the third choice subject combination.
Odhiambo indicated that out of the 12 schools selected in the pathway category, 9 will be boarding schools, with three coming from the learners’ home county and 6 from outside their home county or county of residence, while the remaining three will be day schools, with students coming from their home sub-county or sub-county of residence.
“On pre-selection, a school that does not permit open placement can request to be pre-selected if it meets the criteria outlined by the Ministry of Education,” he stated.
He further articulated that the placement will be determined based on the learner’s choice, merit, psychometric tests, and equity along with school capacity.
During the admission and replacement process, he stated that the placement results will indicate where learners have been assigned.
“Admission letters or joining instructions shall be accessible online using the learner’s assessment number, whereby all schools, both public and private, shall admit Grade 10 learners through the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS),” he explained.
“No principal shall enter a learner into KEMIS prior to their physical arrival at the school. Daily online reporting will be monitored through KEMIS. ”
The guidelines specify that schools with vacancies will announce these through their respective county directors of education, and learners wishing to change schools must submit requests through the heads of junior schools at least two weeks prior to the official Grade 10 reporting date.
“Priority shall be accorded to those who had previously selected the schools they are requesting, with approvals from the Ministry of Education based on the documented capacity of senior schools,” he concluded.
“Upon the approval of a request, the instructions for joining shall be accessible online. It is important to note that a school shall never issue printed letters for cases of replacement. Replacement shall occur only once and shall be irreversible. ”
An automated placement system will consider the student’s interests, the teacher’s feedback, and the academic performance. Furthermore, Mathematics shall remain a mandatory subject in both primary and senior schools, according to Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba.
As stated by Ogamba, this decision follows extensive consultations with stakeholders, during which a proposal from last month to render it optional was retracted.
“The majority of stakeholders during competency-based county dialogues expressed the opinion that Mathematics should remain a mandatory subject in senior school,” Ogamba remarked on Thursday, April 24.
Students in the Arts stream will now be mandated to study a simplified version of Mathematics.
This decision contrasts with an initial proposal aimed at making Mathematics optional for learners following the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), signifying a significant departure from the phased-out 8-4-4 system.
Under the prior system, students had to undertake four mandatory subjects: English or Kenya Sign Language, Kiswahili, Physical Education, and Community Service Learning, followed by the selection of three additional subjects from a total of 38 available options.
However, this initiative has now been abandoned by the government. “We have attentively considered your concerns, engaged with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), and determined that some form of Mathematics shall be made compulsory for the two pathways that do not encompass STEM,” Ogamba stated.
According to the Education Cabinet Secretary, students in the STEM pathway will be required to study pure Mathematics, while the other two pathways will incorporate a simplified version of formal Mathematics.
“Some form of Mathematics shall be compulsory for the two pathways that are not designated as STEM pathways. This stipulation will ensure that Mathematics is included across all three pathways in senior schools,” he further explained. The recent developments follow substantial criticism from educators, educational stakeholders, and parents alike.
On May 13, the then basic education permanent secretary, Belio Kipsang’, announced that Mathematics would no longer be an obligatory subject for students transitioning to senior secondary school, marking one of the most significant changes under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Instead, it was added that students would be required to take English or Kenya Sign Language, Kiswahili, Physical Education, and Community Service Learning as compulsory subjects, while choosing from a pool of 38 options to design their academic and career pathways.