In 2023, a significant number of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination candidates who achieved the minimum university entry grade of C+ have opted for the Bachelor of Arts in Education as their preferred course.
Data from the Kenya Universities and Colleges Placement Service (KUCCPS) indicates that over 30,000 students applied for this program.
The surge in applications for the Bachelor of Arts in Education is attributed to the removal of Mathematics and English as mandatory entry requirements for the course.
This change has likely encouraged more students to pursue teaching careers, leading to the notable increase in applications for this program.
“For the Bachelor of Education, in both arts and science, stakeholders felt that KUCCPS needed to align with TSC regulations on the minimum entry requirements,” said KUCCPS CEO Agnes Mercy Wahome.
“We [took this step] because TSC requires an applicant to have a mean grade of C+ and in two other teaching subjects.”
She added: “We had added Maths and English in Bachelor of Education Arts. When we removed this, we saw a lot of students applying for that course, numbering over 30,000.”
In 2023, the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) implemented a new degree cluster weight to align with the revised KCSE grading system.
Under this system, only five subjects are considered: the three best-scored subjects, Mathematics, and the higher-scored language between English and Kiswahili.
Students are now selected for university admission based on their performance in Mathematics, the best language (English, Kiswahili, or Kenya Sign Language), and the best five from the remaining subjects.
This marks a departure from the previous criteria, which included English, Mathematics, Kiswahili, the best two sciences (Biology, Chemistry, or Physics), and the best two from the remaining subjects.
Out of the total candidate pool, 201,146 students, or 22.5 percent, attained a mean grade of C+ and above, meeting the minimum requirements for placement in degree programs.
The remaining 694,086 students, or 77.5 percent, achieved mean grades between C and E, making them eligible for placement in diploma, craft, and artisan programs at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges.
“We will be opening the system on June 5 to give students an opportunity to make transfers. By July, the whole process will be over so that those students who report in August and September will have a seamless enrolment. By August, all students should have settled in the institutions of their choice,” Wahome said.
The KUCCPS chief mentioned that her agency had provided placement data to the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) for their March intake, as well as to TVET institutions for their May admissions.
Regarding gender distribution, data revealed a continued dominance of male applicants in degree programs, a trend consistent since the inception of the central placement system. Conversely, female students comprised the majority of those placed in TVETs, a trend initiated in the 2020/2021 cycle.
The placement process prioritized eligible applicants based on gender, marginalized and minority regions, and disability, in accordance with the Affirmative Action Policy, as highlighted by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu. Machogu, represented by the Ministry’s Administration Secretary, Fredrick Ndambuki, noted that 2,452 students from the 2023 KCSE cohort benefited from placement through affirmative action.
However, beneficiaries of this placement must still meet minimum subject requirements or program criteria.
This marked the first time that KUCCPS had conducted a single process to place students in universities, TVETs, KMTC, and TTCs. Machogu directed KUCCPS to promptly inform applicants of their placement results and to publish comprehensive fee details for all programs offered by the institutions.
Additionally, vice-chancellors and principals were instructed to communicate reporting dates and relevant information to prospective students, parents, and guardians.
