The Education Ministry has set new strategies to curb fraud and promote transparency in form one admissions.
The new rules include online transmission of admission letters, verifying admission figures for each school against declared capacity and compelling head teachers to report vacancies so they are filled up in consultation with the Education ministry.
“All candidates selected to join national, extra-county and county schools will receive admission letters instantaneously at the touch of a button immediately after this launch,” Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed stated.
“This will be followed by sub-county schools placement on December 6 and 7,” she added.
She was speaking on Monday during the launch of the Form One selection at Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.
All placements will now be done with the Education ministry with cases of absentee students to be verified by ministry officials.
Under the new rules, school heads are expected to report online to the ministry all cases of students who fail to take up Form One slots in their schools.
In the previous direct admission method, some principals reportedly sold vacant Form One slots to the highest bidder.
Others under-declared capacities in their schools to allow more room for business when admission starts.
This year, no school will be allowed to admit more students than the slots declared as the ministry will ensure placements match the declared vacancies.
Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed yesterday said the digitisation of the Form One selection process by sending admission letters online covers most schools.
“Consequently, all candidates selected to join national, extra-county and county schools will receive admission letters instantaneously at the touch of a button immediately after this launch,” Amina said yesterday during the launch of the Form One selection at Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.
“This will be followed by sub-county schools placement on December 6 and 7,” she added. Olive Wachira, the top performing girl in this year’s KCPE exams, was selected to join Kenya High while the top boy, Rawlings Odhiambo, was selected to Alliance High. They both scored 453 marks.
The top performing boy with special needs, Bildad Onon, who scored 447 marks, will also join Alliance High while the top girl with special needs, Sharlet Jerono, will join Alliance Girls.
By banning the direct admission of students to Form One slots in their respective schools, the ministry has scuttled an arrangement that head teachers exploited to influence student selection.