From August 15 to August 30, the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) will make its portal open for Grade 6 learners to choose Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) in preparation for placement.
According to Prof. George Magoha, the cabinet secretary for education, selection for admission of students into JSS will be based on merit, including performance on the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), equity in students’ school selection based on recommendations from parents and teachers, and institutional declared capacity.
“Learners, in consultation with their parents and teachers will be given an opportunity to select a public or private secondary school of their choice for their JSS education. Parents shall meet the cost of learning in private schools as is the usual practice. In compliance with the 100 per cent transition policy, all learners will be placed in Junior Secondary School institutions,” Magoha noted.
He made the remarks as he commissioned the KNEC Headquarters at the new Mitihani House in South C.
For standalone JSS, only those that are registered will be eligible for selection and placement.
Magoha said learners will be offered placement in all existing registered public and private secondary schools while public secondary schools which share a compound with a public primary school will utilise the available classrooms in the primary school as additional learning space.
The existing registered private secondary schools will be available for learners whose parents will pay the fees charged by the private secondary schools;
“JSS established from existing registered private primary schools which have expanded their facilities to accommodate JSS will be available for learners whose parents will pay the fees charged by the private secondary schools,” explained the CS.
He said that the existing registered public and private secondary schools will not require re-registration to offer JSS education.
The Ministry will, however, undertake registration of all JSS established as stand-alone institutions established from existing private primary schools as long as they have complied with the minimum requirement of classrooms and have a fully equipped laboratory.
“Registration of JSS will be in accordance with the Registration Guidelines for Basic Education Institutions (2021). The Ministry will monitor the process of registration to ensure compliance with the CBC requirements,” he explained.
The CS said the transition of learners to JSS under CBC, will be guided by the assessment outcomes of the KPSEA and will be a combination of the learners’ scores attained from the School Based Assessments (SBA) administered in Grade 4, 5 and 6 and the National summative assessment to be administered in November.
The School-Based Assessments for each of the three Grades, Grades 4, 5 and 6, will constitute 20 per cent, with the SBAs cumulatively accounting for 60 per cent of scores to be used in reporting as learners transit to JSS.
KNEC has already administered SBAs to the 2022 Grade 6 cohort at Grade 4 in 2020 and Grade 5 in 2021.
KNEC is in the process of administering the Grade 6 SBA, which started on July 18 and will be completed by September 9.
At the end of Grade 6, KNEC will administer a summative assessment to all the 2022 Grade 6 learners from November 28 to 30.
The assessment will contribute 40 per cent of a learner’s score as they transit to JSS School.
Magoha said that KNEC will assess the 13 subjects offered at the upper primary level using five papers.
They include Mathematics, English Language, Kiswahili/ Kenyan Sign Language, and Integrated Science which combines four subjects namely Science and Technology, Agriculture, Home Science as well as Physical and Health Education.
The fifth subject to be examined will be Creative Arts and Social Studies which combines Social Studies, Christian/Islamic/Hindu Religious Education, Art and Craft as well as Music.
“Each of the five papers will be scored out of 100 per cent. The overall score will be reported as a summation of the scores in the five papers and will be out of 500 marks. Learners will be issued with a transition report for the KPSEA,” explained the CS.
Learners with special needs who are able to follow the regular pathway will have their KPSEA papers adapted based on their area of special needs.
Learners with severe and multiple disabilities, for example, severe deaf/blind, cerebral palsy, and autism, follow a stage-based curriculum that allows them flexibility based on their abilities.
They will be assessed at Foundation and Intermediate levels based on their readiness to transition to the next levels.
