More than 500,000 KCSE learners are not placed in colleges.
Bachelor of Education garnered the most applicants. The low placement rates allude to waste in the country’s educational system.
More than 500,000 pupils who took the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams were not placed in tertiary institutions, undermining the government’s 100% transfer policy.
According to the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) results issued on Tuesday, just 258,935 of the 890,654 qualified candidates for degree, diploma, craft certificate, and artisan certificate programs were placed.
The government lacks a centralized database to track post-secondary education transitions, making it difficult to account for the 631,719 learners who were not recorded by KUCCPS.
Some students apply directly to private universities or colleges, but others take non-academic paths.
The low placement rates allude to waste in the country’s educational system.
While 899,232 applicant results were provided to KUCCPS for placement, the total permitted capacity in public and private institutions is 1,078,806.
This includes 278,006 in universities (degree), 769,820 in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutes, 13,808 in teacher training colleges (TTCs), and 17,172 at Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC).
47,872 students received a mean score of C+ or above on the examinations but did not pursue a degree.
More interestingly, 11,991 qualifiers for university degree programs choose diploma courses, while 35,881 qualifiers remain unaccounted for.
Eighty-five percent of those who qualified for degree programmes chose to attend university, accounting for 76.2% of the 201,146, while the remaining 11,991 applied for certificate courses.
Bachelor of Education garnered the most applicants.
903,138 students.
A total of 903,138 pupils registered for the 2023 KCSE, and 899,453 took the tests.
The Kenya National Examinations Council submitted performance data for 895,232 candidates to KUCCPS for processing.
According to KUCCPS Chief Executive Agnes Mercy Wahome, males dominate placement to degree programmes, a tendency that has continued since the central placement system’s inception a decade ago.
“Female students make up the majority of those placed in TVET programmes, from the 2020/21 cycle to date,” said Dr. Wahome.
The cut-off grades for degree programs were C+ (46 points out of 84), C- (minus) for diploma, D Plain for craft certificate, and E for artisan certificate.
KUCCPS stated that it made courses available at 70 universities, 35 TTCs, 88 KMTC campuses, and 248 public TVET institutes.
According to the placement agency, public and private institutions continue to under-enroll in many programs.
Universities have a total capacity of 278,006 students for undergraduate degree programs, however only 153,274 were accepted out of 201,146 who qualified for admission, or 55%.
Competition for KMTC courses has increased. According to KUCCPS, 56,516 individuals applied for admission to medical courses.
“However, only 19,653 were placed as per available slots,” the agency stated.
The KMTC campuses have a total capacity of 17,172 trainees. There was an overenrollment of 2,481 pupils.
Furthermore, about 199,980 students have been placed in diploma courses, with those who received mean grades of D+ and D- (280,174) being transferred to certificate programs and those who received D- and E (213,932) being trained for artisan courses.
In total, 75,718 applicants were accepted into TVET institutes, with 11,991 qualifying for degree programmes.
Degree Cluster
According to KUCCPS, the degree cluster weight calculation is consistent with the updated KCSE examination grading system, which grades mathematics, best language (English, Kiswahili, or Kenya Sign Language), and best five of the remaining disciplines taken by the candidate.
This differs from the former criterion, which rated English, mathematics, Kiswahili, the best two sciences (biology, chemistry, and physics), and the best two of the additional disciplines taken by the candidate.
On February 7, KUCCPS opened its system for placement applications and reconsideration of choices, which closed on March 4.
The administration has struggled for years to solve the issue of low transition.
In 2022 alone, about one million students dropped out of school.
Political, religious, and other leaders, as well as education stakeholders, expressed concern that the new funding scheme for those enrolling in university or college might cause more students to fall through the cracks.
Despite the government’s efforts to achieve 100% transition across the many exit points of education, students continue to fail to complete their studies.
Last year, the government stated that it could not account for more than 500,000 children who took the 2022 KCSE exam despite failing to apply for admission to university, college, or TVET institutions.
More than 500,000 KCSE learners are not placed in colleges.