Tag Archives: form one reporting date 2021

Form one admission letters 2021

Form One 2021 Selection for KCPE 2020 Candidates- The Ministry of Education has completed the 2021 form one placement process for KCPE 2020 Candidates. The Ministry has at the same time announced the form one placement results. The 2020 KCPE candidates can now download their admission letters.

The 2020 KCPE candidates have now been selected to join National Schools, Extra County Schools, County Schools and Sub County Schools.

How to receive 2021 form one placement results for KCPE 2020 Candidates

You can receive your selection results through SMS. Just go to messages and compose a new SMS. Type your index number in full (as used during KCPE registration). Finally, Send your index No. to 20042. You will receive your results on your mobile phone in a few seconds.

Disclaimer; Only send this SMS once the results have been declared by the Education Cabinet Secretary. This is because this SMS is a premium service and charges Sh25 per SMS sent.

How to download the 2021 form one admission letters for KCPE 2020 Candidates

Candidates selected to join Form one this year can now download their admission letters, online. These letters have been uploaded to the Education Ministry Portal.

To download the admission letter to National Schools

  1. Click on this link to access the download page from the Ministry of Education’s Website: Ministry of education download link for form one admssion letter. You will see the window below;
  2. Form one admission letters download portal 1
      Form one admission letters download portal 1
  3. After clicking the tab ‘Click here to Access Form One School Placement Letter’, you will be redirected to a new window (as shown below). Now, Select the county and sub-county where your KCPE centre/school is located and key in your index number and then click ‘Submit’.
  4. Form one admission letters download portal 2

  5. In the new window, Click on the link named “admission letter” at the bottom of the page for a copy of your admission letter.
  6. Use the printer icon to print or download icon to download to your computer.
  7. Get your primary school’s headteacher to endorse the letter and stamp it in the space provided.
  8. Finally, present it for admission together with a certified copy of birth certificate

Access the Official ministry of Education’s download page by using this link: https://www.education.go.ke/index.php/online-services/form-one-selection

To download the admission letter to Extra County Schools

  1. Click on this link to access the download page from the Ministry of Education’s Website: Ministry of education download link for form one admssion letter. You will land in the window shown below;
  2. Extra County 2021 Form Admission Letter Download Portal 1

  3. By clicking the tab ‘Click here to Access Form One School Placement Letter’, you will be redirected to a new window (as shown below).
  4. Extra County 2021 Form Admission Letter Download Portal 2

  5. Now, Select the county and sub-county where your KCPE centre is found and key in your index number and Submit.
  6. Click on the link named “admission letter” at the bottom of the page for a copy of your admission letter.
  7. Use the printer icon to print or download icon to download to your computer.
  8. Get your primary school’s headteacher to endorse the letter and stamp it in the space provided.
  9. Finally, present it for admission together with a certified copy of birth certificate

To download the admission letter to County Schools:

  1. Click on this link to access the download page from the Ministry of Education’s Website: Ministry of education download link for form one admission letter. You will see the window below.
  2. County School 2021 Form Admission Letter Download Portal 1

  3. Now, click the tab ‘Click here to Access Form One School Placement Letter’, and you will be redirected to a new window (as shown below).
  4. Form one admission letters download portal 2

  5. Next, Select the county and sub-county where your KCPE centre is located and key in your index number and Submit.
  6. Click on the link named “admission letter” at the bottom of the page for a copy of your admission letter.
  7. Use the printer icon to print or download icon to download to your computer.
  8. Get your primary school’s headteacher to endorse the letter and stamp it in the space provided.
  9. Finally, present it for admission together with a certified copy of birth certificate

Open SMASSE competition for teachers- Enter today

The Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) has launched a competition that will see science and mathematics teachers walk home with handsome prizes. Get full details below;

REMOTE LEARNING RECOGNITION OF THE BEST COUNTY TRAINERS AND BEST MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHERS DURING COVID-19

1. PREAMBLE

As an intervention measure to mitigate COVID-19 and in endeavour to ensure that
quality teaching and learning is continuing even as schools are closed, CEMASTEA has gone fully digital and converted its training programmes which have largely been face to face to fully online.

During this COVID-19 Pandemic period, CEMASTEA has continued to implement its training programmes online using learning management systems notably, the Google Classroom.

The focus of the INSET is to build capacities of teachers on innovative pedagogy including delivering the curriculum online. CEMASTEA has trained 1,163 County Trainers from June to July 2020. The County Trainers are now cascading the training to approximately 11,000 Mathematics and Science teachers all over the country from 5th August to 4th September 2020 with the support of CEMASTEA staff.

All the trained teachers and County Trainers will then be required to create Google Classrooms with their students and start teaching them online from 7th September 2020 until schools reopen.

In order to motivate and encourage the teachers to develop the requisite skills and be innovative in teaching learners online, CEMASTEA has partnered with e-Kitabu to introduce a competition during the COVID-19 pandemic period to encourage teachers to develop and deliver online lessons to learners using a suitable learning management system.

2. COMPETITION CATEGORIES

The competition will be rolled out in two categories as follows: to and

2.1. Category 1: County Trainers

This category will be open to the County Trainers from the 47 counties and 8 regions who met qualifications requirements during the 2020 Online National INSET.

Using the assessment criteria under section 3, Cohort Coordinators and CEMASTEA staff who conducted the 2020 National INSET will assess and identify the best Google Classroom Project created by the County Trainers per county

2.2. Category 2: Mathematics and Science Teachers

Category 2 will be open to the Mathematics and Science teachers drawn from the 47 counties and 8 regions who will qualify during the on-going 2020.

Using the assessment criteria under section 3, the County Trainers who are conducting the
2020 Online County INSET will assess and identify the best Google Classroom Project per county as created by the teachers.

They will be guided by the County Trainers’ Representative and the CQASO. The Liaison Officer will provide technical support.

REQUIREMENTS

For any County Trainer or teacher to participate, they must:

1) Register for the competition
2) Complete the project
3) Have qualified during the Online 2020 National and County INSETs respectively

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Assessment of the submitted projects will be based on how well the teacher was
able to:

1) Create suitable online content in a learning management system
2) Prepare a suitable lesson plan or implementation plan to use for teaching
implementing the online content;
3) Deliver or engage learner meaningfully in the learning process using the online content.

AWARDS

1) The best project in the county will be awarded a present
2) The best project in the region will be awarded a laptop
3) The best three projects nationally will be awarded KShs. 100,000/=; KShs. 75,000/=; and KShs. 50,000/= for the 1st; 2nd; and 3rd positions respectively.
4) All the awards will be accompanied with a certificate

TIME LINES

The assessment will be completed by 31st October 2020 while the awards will be given in November 2020.

IMPACT

It is hoped that this recognition will go a long way in making remote learning entrenched in schools and benefit the learners.

Education Ministry gets 300 multi-functional Orbit Readers

It is a big sigh of relief for visually impaired secondary school students after the Ministry of Education received about 300 multi-functional Orbit Readers 20 from Unilever Kenya. The devices will assist the learners during their lessons.

While receiving the devices on Thursday at the Kenya Institute of Special Education headquarters in Nairobi, the Director of Special Needs Education, Fred Haga, expressed his joy saying the devices were very important as they will assist the blind and deaf-blind learners to more easily access education in schools.

He said lack of enough braille equipment was hampering the teaching-learning process for the visually challenged learners. Haga said this was derailing the Government’s commitment of ensuring that every child has access to quality education.

“Currently braille materials distribution ratio to students is 1:5 whilst the students with no disability enjoy the textbooks at a ratio of 1:1” Haga said.

The braille assistive devices worth Ksh 22 million were produced by Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa (KTBA) in partnership with the Kenya government to ensure sustainability for blind learners.

Susan Akuya demonstrates the use of the Orbit Reader at the KBTA Orbit Reader-20 donation. KBTA aims at providing digital literacy and skills to visually impaired learners in East Africa and Malawi.

Speaking at the event, the General Manager, Unilever Kenya, Ochieng Luck said the provision of learning materials to special schools demonstrates inclusivity, as they are important for the development and integration between learners who may have visual impairments with their sighted peers.

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The Orbit Reader 20 is also much lighter, can instantly access enormous amounts of content via Bluetooth. Using an SD card, it can store thousands of braille books or written text via the braille input keys.

Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa is a charitable trust working to enable visually impaired learners have access to education through Braille literacy and Innovative Assistive Technology. It has the following features:

  • a line of 20 braille cells with pins that arrange into the required pattern to accurately represent any six- or eight-dot braille code, in any language, and for any discipline,
  • reads the contents of files on an SD™ (Secure Digital) card for Stand-Alone mode,
  • remote connectivity to PCs and mobile devices for use with a screen reader,
  • simple editing functions and
  • signage-quality braille.

New boarding school to be constructed here

The government will construct a modern boarding primary school as part of its commitment to improve education standards in Turkana county by constructing modern primary schools and ECDEs.

The National Drought Management Authority(NDMA) is at advanced stages of constructing a modern boarding mixed primary school at Urum, Loima sub county that will ensure pupils from Turkana and West Pokot access education.

NDMA county coordinator Abdkikadir Jillo said during a meeting attended by Cabinet Secretary for Devolution Eugene Wamalwa that the concept note for the school has already been completed in collaboration with the county government.

“We have budgeted for the school and we shall commence works in the new financial year,” said Jillo.

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Wamalwa said the government has constructed a similar school at Nasol, West Pokot county to foster peaceful coexistence between the Turkana and Pokot communities.

Responding to area MCA Patrick Imana who had requested to know the fate of Urum pupils whose school was blown away by wind late last year, Jillo said the project has been factored and would start in the 2021/2022 financial year.

At the same time Turkana County Deputy Governor Peter Lotethiro has said the county would construct an Early Childhood Development Education centre to cater for the growing population at Lokiriamet, in the same sub county.

The leaders were speaking in Lokiriamet during the launch of a borehole.

University Scholarships for Kenyan Students (Undergraduate, Masters and PHD)

The Government of Serbia has offered five (5) scholarships for the year 2020/2021 under the program “The World in Serbia” Project.

Interested candidates should have:

Undergraduate

  • Minimum KCSE Mean Grade of B (plain).
  • Less than 21 years for undergraduate
  • Strong grades in the major subjects that are key to the preferred specialty.
  • Completed Secondary Education in the last three (3) years.
  • Has KCSE original certificate. 

Masters

  • Not more than 25 for Masters
  • Hold at least 2nd class Honors (Upper Division) degree

PhD

  • Not more than 35
  • Hold a relevant Master’s Degree from a recognized University

The scholarship covers preparatory lessons in the Serbian language, tuition in the field of choice (Undergraduate, Graduate and/or PhD), accommodation and meals in the standard facilities, mandatory Health Insurance, residential visa, verification of secondary and higher education certificates, and a monthly stipend of 15,000RSD.

NB:  The scholarship does not cover air travel to and from Serbia, local travel in Serbia, textbooks and work material for studies and personal expenses.  While the monthly stipend may cover some of the expenses that are not provided for by the scholarship, students are advised to organize for additional funds to cater for expenses not covered.

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Requirements

Documents to be submitted with the application form include:

  1. Biography (CV) with a contact address, telephone number, and e-mail address.
  2. Candidates for basic studies:  original and certified copy of secondary school certificates.
  3. Candidates for master studies:  original and certified copy of the undergraduate degree certificates.
  4. Candidates for doctoral studies: original and certified copy of the master’s degree certificate.
  5. A copy of the passport.
  6. A photograph (passport).
  7. Evidence on English or Serbian language conversational proficiency.
  8. Medical certificate not older than 6 months certifying that the candidate does not suffer from an infectious disease.
  9. Certificate that the candidate is HIV negative.

All interested applicants should collect Scholarship Preliminary form or download from the Ministry website (www.education.go.ke) and submit their applications to the;

Director for University Education

Ministry of Education, Telposta Towers, 27th floor, Room 2702

P.O. Box 9583-00200

NAIROBI

NB:

Only shortlisted applicants shall be contacted through e-mail /phone call from the following number 0771842051

To be nominated does not in any way guarantee selection or placement

All completed applications and supportive documents should be delivered to Telposta Towers, 27th floor, Room 2702 during working hours between 8.00 am to 5.00 pm not later than 27th January, 2021

Reopening dates for schools, universities and cololeges; CS Magoha to make the announcement

Kenyans will, SOON, have the final details on when schools are expected to reopen. During the 10th state of the nation address on Monday, President Uhuru Kenyatta said Education CS George Magoha will be releasing exact details on reopening of schools, universities and colleges.

The President directed the CS to convene a Stake holders’ meeting so that to come up with final recommendations.

“The Ministry (of Education) will then communicate to parents and students on a way forward in regards to their studies,” said President Uhuru.

The President at the same time directed that all government institutions should be availed, unconditionally, to the Ministry of Health for isolation and quarantine purposes.

“That any Government Institutions including all sporting facilities, stadia and educational institutions and other Government facilities, upon designation by the Cabinet Secretary for Health as a public health facility, shall be availed to the Ministry of Health for Isolation and Quarantine purposes,” he directed.

CS Magoha had earlier announced that all primary and secondary schools would reopen in January next year, when the covid 19 infection curve would have flattened.

CS Magoha had announced the the 2020 academic year will be considered lost and learners will have to repeat their current classes next year.

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MURKY ROAD-MAP TO REOPENING OF UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES IN SEPTEMBER

Plans of reopening universities and Colleges in September this year may also face serious setbacks after several institutions, so far, failed to meet the minimum requirements for compliance with health guidelines on covid-19.

A top level management team from the Ministry, led by CS George Magoha, has been traversing the country to assess preparedness of the institutions; ahead of the planned reopening.

The high daily infection rates may also thwart any reopening plans for the higher learning institutions in September.

University of Nairobi has since shelved any plans of reopening in September. The University Vice Chancellor Professor Kiama Gitahi has ruled out any form of on-campus learning this year saying the Senate has reached the decision to help fight the spread of coronavirus.

“University of Nairobi is at the epicentre of COVID-19. We are responsible people to observe how the situation is unfolding and only allow learning when we are advised by experts to do so,” said the VC.

The university’s decision has informed by the high rate of infections and mortality within members of the staff.

“By Saturday we had 21 cases of positive staff and they are increasing… we’ve lost others and its a fact. UoN has over 65,000 students who live in all parts of Nairobi. You cannot tell us that putting sanitizer in the hostels will help. Until we are advised by experts. We do not think will reopen anytime soon,” Prof Kiama added.

The Ministry of education has at the same time come up with tough regulations that will be followed when schools reopen. The new measures demand for complete social distance in dormitories, classrooms, libraries and at water points.

Education Ministry to schools- Pay balances owed to the Postal Corporation

The Ministry of Education has directed schools to clear monies owed to the Postal Corporation. The Ministry notes that most schools have not been paying for the postal boxes through which they receive mails and parcels. The Principal Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Bellio Kipsang, says the non payment prompted the Postal Corporation to formally launch a complaint with the Ministry.

“The Ministry is in receipt of a letter from the Postal Corporation of Kenya in which it has emerged that many schools have not been paying for the postal boxes they have rented from the Kenya Postal Postal Corporation. Consequently, the schools have accumulated arrears totaling to KShs 185,639,304.” Says Dr. Kipsang via a circular sent to all County and Sub County Directors of Education.

The PS orders the field officers to ensure schools within their jurisdictions pay the arrears immediately.

“The Ministry notes with concern the non-payment of the rental boxes fee an direct you to ensure schools under your jurisdiction attend to this obligation,” adds Dr. Kipsang.

Non-payment of the postal charges has only but further complicated the financial status of the already struggling mail service provider. The emerging of internet has reduced the number of mails being sent through hard copies; with many preferring E-mails and other electronic modes.

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Part of the fee capitation that schools receive from the government is to be spent for various vote heads; including operation costs.

kipsang says school heads should immediately visit the postal corporation offices where they have rented the postal boxes to check their balances and clear them.

Communication from the Teachers Service Commission, TSC, to schools is done via the Postal boxes.

CS Magoha’s speech after receiving report on schools’ reopening

Education Cabinet secretary Prof. George Magoha has today received the report from the national covid-19 education response committee. The report that was presented to him at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, KICD, proposes that schools’ reopening be postponed to September. The report also proposes that KCPE and KCSE examinations to be taken in February next year.

The committee recommends that the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates be given first priority so as to report to schools in September this year with the rest learners reporting at least two weeks after learning institutions make adjustments to meet social distancing requirement and other admission logistics.

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While addressing the media the CS said that every school shall remain closed, both private and public. He was quick to castigate parents in private schools who have been crying foul over high school fees demands from management of such schools.

“If private schools collapse all those children will come to public schools, therefore parents talk to the schools and work around how you will keep the schools open and supporting the economy. Those who took their children to private schools go negotiate with them on school fees. Be reasonable the schools must operate,

“To us the life of one child is very important; so other than thinking so much about exams and learning, teach the child what you know yourself… The purpose of this report was not when schools should reopen or not. It’s the safety of our children. If it means that they come back to school early next year and they start all afresh so be it…The child who is alive and well at home is better than a dead child.” said the CS.

He also expressed his unhappiness with the way the report found its way to the media before even being presented to him.

“I am aware that this report reached you irregularly before being delivered to me but that is being Kenyan, there’s nothing wrong with it,” Magoha said.

On the KCSE, KCPE examinations the CS said the safety of the learners comes first; a clear indication that this year’s examinations will indeed have to be postponed.

“We should not be thinking about examinations alone. The question is; are we comfortable for any deaths when we open schools?” he posed.

He declined to state the exact reopening dates for schools, saying an elaborate response will be given in due course.

“If you say we open schools now and disregard the health of children, that is not practical. We will advise the next steps when we can… I urge the forth estate to support us. Don’t ask me too many questions without basis. You have seen Covid-19 infections cases this week,” he observed while advising parents to stop taking children as a burden and wondered how many will want to take their children to school if the recent spike in infections is anything to go by.

At one point the tough talking CS lost his cool and lectured a journalist who had wanted to know if schools offering online lessons are already in the second term.

Magoha now says reopening of schools will be guided by the Health situation in the country and asks parents to prepare to stay with children longer.

Government of Hungary Scholarships for Kenyan Students; How to apply

The Government of Hungary has offered One Hundred (100) Undergraduate, Masters and PHD scholarships for the 2021/2022 academic year.

Eligible Kenyan students can apply for scholarships in the following areas of study:

  • Undergraduate (BA/BSc) studies in the fields of Agricultural Science, Computer Science and Information Technology, Economic Science, Engineering Science, Health Science, Sport Science and Natural Science;
  • Master’s (MA/MSc) studies in the fields of Agricultural Science, Computer Science and Information Technology, Legal Science, Economic Science, Engineering Science, Medical and Health Science and Natural Science;
  • Doctoral (PhD/DLA) studies in any field of interest;
  • One-tier master’s (OTM) studies in the fields of general medicine, dentistry, pharmacology, architecture, and veterinary medicine.

NB: One-Tier Masters (OTM) covers both Bachelor and the Master’s levels.

SCHOLARSHIP DETAILS

The study programmes and Host Institutions are accessible on the online application system’s website: (https://apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu/).

The scholarship covers Tuition fee, Accommodation, Medical Insurance and a monthly stipend. Please note that these provisions do not fully cover all the costs of living in Hungary but are only a contribution to the living expenses.

Applicants are advised to check the expected living expenses both in Hungary and in the city that they wish to live in before applying by visiting: http://www.studyinhungary.hu/livingin-hungary/menu/your-costs-of-living.html

Eligibility

A. Undergraduate

a) Minimum KCSE Mean Grade of B (plain).
b) Not more than 25 years of age.
c) Grade “B” in core subjects in the preferred field of study.
d) Completed Secondary Education in the last three (3) years.
e) Have original KCSE certificate.

B. Postgraduate

(i) Graduated with a Bachelor’s degree upper second class honors level.
(ii) For PhD, applicants must have a relevant Master’s Degree.
(iii) Are below thirty eight (38) years for Masters and forty five (45) years for PhD.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

1. Preliminary application forms are obtainable from the Ministry of Education offices at Telposta Towers, 27th floor Room 2702. The application forms can also be downloaded from the Ministry’s website: http://www.education.go.ke

2. All applicants must also submit their application through the online application system of Tempus Public Foundation. After registration, the applicants are able to access the application surface and upload the required documents. Please note that no application will be accepted without the online submission.

A guide to the online submission is available on http://www.stipendiumhungaricum.hu website.

The online application can be accessed on: http://apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu
The deadline for submission of the complete application package of online application to the Tempus Public Foundation is 15th January 2021 (23:59 Central European Time).

3. Doctoral candidates are advised to visit website (http://www.doktori.hu) before applying.

4. Students applying for doctoral program must have a supervisor at the host university. A statement of acceptance issued by the supervisor must be attached to the application.

5. Candidates who are in service should submit their application forms through their Heads of Departments and attach the recommendation letter.

6. Completed application forms with certified photocopies of ID, academic/professional certificates, transcripts, Birth Certificate, other testimonials and a proposal/study plan in the area of study (for PhD study only ), and a copy of online application form should be sent to:
Director, University Education
Ministry of Education,
P. O. Box 9583 – 00200
NAIROBI

Or delivered to: Telposta Towers, 27th floor, Room 2702. The same can be emailed through directoruniversities2018@gmail.com

7. Only shortlisted applicants (who shall be informed by email or phone call from only phone number 0771842051 shall be invited for interview.

The preliminary and online application forms should reach the Ministry not later than Tuesday,19th January, 2021 by 5pm.

NB:
1. The Ministry of Education is the designated Agent for the Hungary Government scholarships. It is mandatory for all interested applicants to go through the Ministry’s preliminary selection process.
2. Preference for nominations at postgraduate level will be given to teaching staff in the Universities and University Constituent Colleges.

Get your fees refunds from schools- Government tells parents

Schools have been ordered to refund all fees paid by parents for term 2 and 3. This is after education cabinet secretary prof George Magoha asked primary and secondary schools’ parents to collect all unused fees from respective schools.

On her part, State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena on Tuesday, July 8 advised parents wishing to get school fees refunds to approach school administration and chart a way forward.. Her statement came a day after Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha confirmed that schools would remain closed until 2021.

This comes after Prof. Magoha on Tuesday announced that the 2020 academic year will be considered lost as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Magoha announced that all primary and secondary schools will reopen in January, 2021; when the infection rates would have declined.

Magoha, however, advised that parents could also choose to carry forward the amount to 2021 to cater for fees when schools re-open.

During a radio interview on Wednesday, the government spokesperson agreed to the concerns of parents; mostly those who had cleared their 2020 school fees. Most hit, though, are parents with children in private schools; considering the fact that such schools charge high fees.

Kanze advised parents to approach Headteachers and Principals of schools on the way forward.

“Parents will need to communicate and reach agreements with the schools, if they want refunds or the amount carried forward,” she advised.

She added that many schools opted to continue with online teaching; just to prepare the learners for national examinations, in case they were to be held in 2020. She said schools and parents can find ways of engaging the learners while at home for the remaining many months.

“They did not want their students to be unprepared if it was announced that exams would be held this year. These online classes are also being offered by different groups and I think (many parents) do not want their children to be idle.. You have to realize that there are still a lot of months left to the end of the year, so it is important for children to also be engaged while at home” she added.

NO KCSE, KCPE EXAMS IN 2020

On Tuesday, CS Magoha said there will be no KCSE and KCPE examinations this year. All learners in primary and secondary schools will have to repeat their current classes next year.

Kanze said public schools that had received school fees capitation from the government will have to utilize the money in other projects and should wait for guidelines from the ministry of education. The schools have already refunded funds meant for co-curricular activities after they were ordered by the ministry to do so.

According to Kanze, the decision to post-pone the national examinations was arrived after considering learners in remote areas; who may not have access to the current online teaching programs offered by KICD.

“You might have wi-fi and the child has their own mobile device for e-learning, but think about that child in a remote place and attends Makwekwe Primary School. They don’t have wi-fi. Don’t you think if we test them on the same level we will be violating that child’s rights?” Kanze posed.

This latest move by the government will be a big sigh of relief for most parents who have been pushing for fees refunds. But, this directive may add more insult to injury for teachers and support staff whose salaries are drawn from students’ fees.

RELATED NEWS

Schools instructed to reduce uniform costs

The Ministry of Education has instructed schools to cut down on costs of uniforms for students. Basic Education Principal Secretary Dr. Belio Kipsang has asked the school heads to find ways of reducing the costs of uniforms that have caused agony for most parents.

The PS said some learners who sat for the 2019 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCPE) examination were unable to report to form one due to the high uniform costs. He said a total of 1,061,000 pupils out of the 1,088,986 have so far reported to secondary schools countrywide. The remaining learners had either repeated in class eight or proceeded to Technical and Vocational Training Centres without being coerced.

FOR A COMPLETE GUIDE TO ALL SCHOOLS IN KENYA CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW;

Here are links to the most important news portals:

EXTRA LEVIES

Apart from high costs of uniforms, some schools are still charging extra levies. In one school for instance, parents are asked to pay for Parents and Teachers Association (PTA), remedial studies and motivation.

Other charges imposed on parents include: Examination registration processing fees and money for stationery.

The Government offers a fee subsidy of Sh22,244 per year for all students in Puplic schools under the Free Day Secondary Education Programme.

Education CS Prof George Magoha when he led the campaign to register all of the 2019 KCPE candidates in Form One in Kisumu and Siaya counties on February 5, 2020.
MAXIMUM FEES PAYABLE

Disbursement of capitation to schools is done in the ratio 50:30:20 thus;

  • Term one 2020: by 30th November 2019.
  • Term two 2020: by 30th March 2020.
  • Term three 2020: by 30th July 2020.

The maximum school fees to be charged by all National schools and Extra county schools that are located in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Nyeri, Thika and Eldoret  should not exceed Sh53,554 per year.

On the other hand, boarding schools including extra county schools that are located in other areas other than the town of Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Nyeri, Thika and Eldoret should charge a maximum of Sh40,535 from parents as the yearly fees.

Principals have been urging the Government to allow them charge extra fees to cater for the large influx of learners to Secondary schools from the one hundred Percent transition drive.

BEST LINKS TO TSC SERVICES & DOCUMENTS; ONLINE

We have not post poned the 2020 KCSE, KCPE exams- CS Magoha

Our educational programmes are not meant to replace teachers- KICD says

Teachers play a pivotal role in curriculum delivery and can not be replaced by online educational programmes. These are sentiments held by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, KICD. This is relation to queries raised over the suitability of the online programmes and if they can indeed be a possible replacement of physical teaching at school.

But, the KICD has come clear saying teachers’ work can not easily be replaced by online delivered lessons.

“The alternative curriculum delivery modes are not meant to replace the teacher but to compliment the work of a teacher,” KICD clarifies.

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Various stake holders have been raising concern over the uptake (by learners) of the online lessons that are being run by the KICD. A number of  educational programmes  have been developed by KICD to support learners while at home; as schools continue to be shutdown to curb spread of the deadly Corona virus disease. The programmes are run on a daily basis via radio, television, YouTube and Kenya Education Cloud (KEC).

Amani National Congress, ANC, party leader Musalia Mudavadi says the assertions by the Education Ministry that (online) learning is ongoing are misleading.

“We have heard government officials say that learning is going on, online. They have also said that national examinations will go on, as was scheduled at the start of the year. We don’t know of any packages of measures that the ministry has made for parents, teachers and learners to facilitate, equalize and monitor home learning. Without clearly defined and equitable state-owned and state-facilitated learning packages, it is misleading and even mischievous to claim that learning is going on. It is not,” says Mudavadi.

“Not every learner has access to radio or TV and less still to the internet. Even those who can physically access these facilities are challenged with the COSTS of activating them. Let us not cheat ourselves,” he adds.

This is how and where one can access digital content on the Kenya Education Cloud https://kec.ac.ke

While, noting that the said programmes are only meant to supplement work done by teachers, KICD says the programmes are more suitable especially now that learners can’t go to school as a result of the ‘Stay at Home’ order.

“The programmes are not meant to match what a teacher does does in class but to add value to the learners’ quest for konwledge, skills (and) values while at home. In this situation where most learners have no direct access to the teacher, the interactive radio and e-learning lessons are the available curriculum delivery modes, especially in the condition of ‘stay at home’,” KICD explains.


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2021 form one admission results and letters download guides

The Ministry of education has completed the placement exercise for the 2021 form one students. Candidates who sat for the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations can now check their placement results online and via SMS.

The Education Cabinet Secretary has today announced the 2021 form one admission results for the 2020 KCPE candidates. You can now download your form one admission letter so as to know the specific school joining instructions.

It is important that you visit the Ministry of education portal to download your 2021 form one admission letter. See the guides below on how to go about it;

How to download your 2021 form  one admission letter to National School.

  1. Click on this link to access the download page from the Ministry of Education’s Website: Ministry of education download link for form one admssion letter.
  2. Then, Select the county and sub-county where your KCPE centre is located and key in your index number and Submit.
  3. Click on the link named “admission letter” at the bottom of the page for a copy of your admission letter.
  4. Use the printer icon to print or download icon to download to your computer.
  5. Get your primary school’s headteacher to endorse the letter and stamp it in the space provided.
  6. Finally, present it for admission together with a certified copy of birth certificate

Access the Official ministry of Education’s download page by using this link: https://www.education.go.ke/index.php/online-services/form-one-selection

How to download your 2021 form  one admission letter to Extra County Schools:

  1. Click on this link to access the download page from the Ministry of Education’s Website: Ministry of education download link for form one admssion letter.
  2. Now, Select the county and sub-county where your KCPE centre is found and key in your index number and Submit.
  3. Click on the link named “admission letter” at the bottom of the page for a copy of your admission letter.
  4. Use the printer icon to print or download icon to download to your computer.
  5. Get your primary school’s headteacher to endorse the letter and stamp it in the space provided.
  6. Finally, present it for admission together with a certified copy of birth certificate

Access the Official ministry of Education’s download page by using this link: https://www.education.go.ke/index.php/online-services/form-one-selection

How to download your 2021 form  one admission letter to County School.

  1. Click on this link to access the download page from the Ministry of Education’s Website: Ministry of education download link for form one admssion letter. Now,
  2. Next, Select the county and sub-county where your KCPE centre is located and key in your index number and Submit.
  3. Click on the link named “admission letter” at the bottom of the page for a copy of your admission letter.
  4. Use the printer icon to print or download icon to download to your computer.
  5. Get your primary school’s headteacher to endorse the letter and stamp it in the space provided.
  6. Finally, present it for admission together with a certified copy of birth certificate

Access the Official ministry of Education’s download page by using this link: https://www.education.go.ke/index.php/online-services/form-one-selection

CS Magoha says no one is perfect, defends his track record

Education Cabinet Secretary Professor George Magoha has defended his way of executing duties that have landed him in the hot soup, lately. The CS notes that the process of bringing reforms in the Education Sector is not easy as it may face unprecedented resistance. In his statement, he castigates his field officers for derailing the reforms.

This comes after the Public Service Commission trimmed his powers to manage workers in the Ministry.

Read the full statement from CS Magoha, below;

STATEMENT BY CS MAGOHA ON THE STATUS OF EDUCATION SECTOR

“Having accrued considerable experience in public service in numerous capacities, I strongly believe that for any meaningful, positive and measurable change to happen, things must be done differently. While I do concede that I am not perfect, in the process of reforms of the magnitude required to improve service delivery in the education sector, I also recognise that this process is bound to generate resistance if tangible results are to be achieved.

My management style which has proved successful over the years is walking about at the point of service delivery. I will qualify this position by citing a few examples:

1. Chronic Absenteeism from the workplace

When I was sworn in as Cabinet Secretary for Education on March 26, 2019 my first engagement at the Ministry of Education was to physically confirm whether Ministry employees report to work at the expected time. I immediately realised that more that 60% of the offices were empty and unattended by 11am.

I then sought to rally the staff and firmly impressed upon them the importance of reporting for duty on time. To monitor attendance of staff to their duties, I spearheaded the installation of CCTV and biometric devices in all entry and exit points for checking in and out all Ministry personnel. Though it was initially resisted, within a span of 6 months, cases of absenteeism had reduced to almost zero with nearly all top managers reporting for duty voluntarily by 6:30am, a situation which has remained the same to date.

2. Chronic Absenteeism by Field Officers

Chronic absenteeism in the field has persisted even though significant improvements have improved tremendously. A small number of field officers limit their work to their offices with little effort to physically monitor implementation of education programmes in the field unless a senior Ministry official from the Headquarters is present. This is however negated by a substantive number of dedicated field officers whose impact in the field is laudable.

During my numerous field visits, I have been able to identify competent officers such as Mr. Weru Machocho who I promoted and deployed as a Regional Director and he has demonstrated excellent results in a short span of a month especially through visiting more than 200 schools to physically inspect and ensure that Economic Stimulus Programme for desks are fabricated as per prototype specification and delivered to schools promptly.

For a measurable impact to be made, all government employees must work for the pay that they earn monthly. In my many field visits I have noted that chronic absenteeism is the single leading cause of poor quality assurance and oversight by the Ministry. On this concern, I wish to confirm that for as long as I remain at the helm of the Ministry, I shall continue to ensure that all Ministry employees deliver services to the public as per their job descriptions.

3. Field Visits

I wish to begin by thanking senior officers from the Head Quarters for their numerous and very effective visits to the field since these have strongly supported service delivery by the Ministry.

During my numerous field visits, I have observed and made public pronouncements many times that I have continuously found our teachers in class teaching diligently and demonstrating that they are hardworking, and committed in their teaching. However, there are a number of instances when our field officers do not provide the necessary support and superintendence required for effective service delivery.

The rights of learners, teachers, parents and the wider public who are directly and indirectly affected by the education sector must be safeguarded by all public officers in the education sector by being hands-on and diligent.

4. Misappropriation of Public Funds in the Ministry of Education

As public officers, we are duty bound to ensure that Kenyans their hard-earned taxes and other revenues from the public kitty is utilised prudently. This can only be achieved if we embrace hands-on management of these resources.

This management approach has been instrumental in identifying lapses within the Ministry where Public Funds have been misappropriated and measures to ensure that I effectively intervene have been deployed.

In order to ensure that proper planning and record keeping is maintained the CBC Taskforce undertook an exercise to collect data from all learning institutions and the learners in each institution. This can now be verified and is fully documented.

A key example among others of the significance of the Taskforce’s findings is in the primary school sector where due diligence identified an inflation of numbers of learners from 8.47 million to 9 million learners. The shortfall of 529,997 learners has led to the saving of Kshs. 752,594,740 annually.

5. The Government Stimulus programme for the delivery of desks worth Kshs.1.9 billion

The government allocated Kshs.1.9 billion under the Economic Stimulus Programme for the supply of desks to schools in order to enhance social distancing as a strategy of reducing Covid-19 transmission.

I tasked one of the units in the Ministry to develop and cost a prototype. When I did due diligence of establishing the market prices of the desks, I realised that the Unit at the Ministry had inflated the cost by Ksh 1,700, which means only 250,000 desks would have been supplied.  The Ministry set the prices at Ksh 2500 and Ksh 3800 for primary and secondary school desks respectively.

The government will now be able to supply 622,157 locally assembled desks to 5,136 public primary (359,450 desks) and 5,243 public secondary schools (262,707 desks, lockers and chairs). This programme seeks to ensure that local jua kali artisans and workshops at the sub-county level are supported to uplift thousands of livelihoods and support learners with desks that would mitigate the effects of social distancing in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The process of fabricating and delivering the desks took off in earnest and when I demanded for a report from Sub-Counties which had delivered desks to schools I was taken aback when I sought to verify the reports by sampling and going to the field in person.

In Kakamega North where the schools identified were five (5), I only found delivery in 2 schools and the desks delivered in those schools were of poor quality, not varnished and did not meet the specifications of the prototype. The same was exemplified by Mumias East and numerous other sub-counties across the country.

I wish to thank all the field officers who are correcting such anomalies in an effort to fabricate and deliver the quality and standards of desks required as per the prototype.

6. 100% transition

The policy on 100% transition which was implemented from 2018 was only successful this year through mobilization of all education field officers and co-ordination with the Ministry of Interior and Co-ordination of National Government working as a team to mop up all children who had not reported to Form 1 at the expected time.

The operation was successful because I personally demanded that every education field officer must account for every child who had completed Class 8 and I visited all areas that had reported many cases of children who had not been admitted including those who were pregnant or from disadvantaged families.

In addition, the Ministry of Interior and Co-ordination of National Government through its Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Fred Matiangí ensured that all his field officers were fully engaged.

Conclusion

I thank all officers within the education sector for their diligence and continue to persuade the few who are left behind to join us in delivering for the Kenyan child as a team.

Unless otherwise directed by my appointing authority, I shall continue to perform ALL my duties and responsibilities with zeal and commitment and ensure that ALL officers in the Ministry of Education perform their duties for the benefit of the Kenyan Child, Parents and all education stakeholders.