School choice and affirmative action used to place students in Form One 2024

The selection exercise for the 2024 Form one placement has kicked off. The exercise will run from November 27th, 2023 to December 11th, 2023.

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has announced that the selection will be fair to all the KCPE 2023 candidates; and all candidates who sat for the exams will have an opportunity to transition to secondary school.

“Already, the ministry has developed a fair and transparent system for Form One placement that will ensure national, regional and socio-economic balance is achieved,” Mr Machogu announced.

Since no pupil can repeat the primary school examinations with the 2023 KCPE being the last; those who were in Standard Eight but failed to sit the exam will have another chance by sitting a special test in January.

2024 Form one placement criteria.

The Ministry has at the same time developed a transparent form one placement criteria.

All candidates with 400 marks and above will be selected to join national schools. There were 8,523 candidates who scored over 400 marks. 

The 2024 form one selection will be based on learner choices, overall performance, individual performance, affirmative action type of school they attended (whether public or private).

Candidates are required to make four choices of national schools and three of extra-county schools. They are then supposed to select two county and two sub-county institutions which accommodate more than 70 percent of the candidates.

Later, candidates access and download admission letters from the Ministry of Education portal. The Form Ones will report after the continuing students, but this is expected within the month of January 2024.

Learners not satisfied with placement results can apply for review and change of school.

All learners in public secondary schools qualify for sponsorship through the Free Day Secondary Education programme at Sh22,244.