Form 1 placement to start, to join secondary on 30th January

Placement of Form One students will start in two weeks time. The Ministry of Education has also issued new rules guiding the transition. 

 According to a circular dated 1st November 2022, from Principal Secretary (PS) for Basic Education, secondary schools are required to make changes to the instructions for KCPE candidates joining Form 1 in January. 

 The PS says the Form 1 reporting date is on 30th January 2023. To protect parents from exploitation by schools the PS has ordered Principals to stop making purchase demands to parents. He has asked Principals to cease from directing parents to procure uniforms or any other materials from specific stores. “Schools must not direct parents to procure uniforms or any other materials from a central location. 

At the same time, schools should not ask parents to come and buy items in the school,” reads the Ministry circular. Private schools have already raised their voice ahead of the Form 1 selection and placement exercise. The Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA) has asked the government to ensure fairness in Form One selection. 

 The association’s vice chairman Solomon Munene said the selection should be guided by performance of candidates in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam. “The government should reward hard work and let all candidates join secondary schools of their choice as per their performance,” said Munene. 

 He added: “All candidates are Kenyan children and it is our belief that Form One selection will be fair to all. Private schools are keenly watching.” Munene also asked the Ministry of Education to consider including private secondary schools in Form One selection and placement. “Private secondary schools struggle to get Form One students because they are excluded from the selection. 

This is unfair because private secondary schools have invested a lot in infrastructure and learning materials and yet their facilities are greatly underutilised,” Munene said. He said the government, and indeed all stakeholders should support private schools in the spirit of public-private partnership, saying this will also help in decongesting public secondary schools. 

 “We also request the government to consider extending capitation to students in private secondary schools like their peers in public secondary schools,”

 Munene said. He said support from the national government would attract parents to private secondary schools and consequently ease the congestion in public secondary schools. According to the Ministry of Education calendar all schools will reopen on 23td January 2023.