Education Ministry receives over 177,000 applications for grade 10 Placement Review, approves only 30,000

The Ministry of Education has received over 177,000 requests from parents and learners seeking revisions to Grade 10 placements, just two days after the review process was opened.

Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok, speaking to the media on Wednesday, said more than 30,000 of the applications had already been processed. He urged parents and learners to utilise the review window to make any necessary changes to senior school selections.

The PS explained that placement reviews for Category One (C1) schools are being handled centrally at the ministry headquarters in Nairobi, while requests involving schools up to Cluster Four (C4) have been decentralised to line officers across the country to enhance efficiency and speed up processing.

Bitok also acknowledged that the system experienced temporary digital disruptions early Tuesday but assured the public that services had since been fully restored at the Konza data centre.

“There were slight hiccups over digital details, but the system has been restored at Konza,” he said.

He further called for patience from parents and learners, noting that the seven-day review period officially began on Tuesday and that all applications would be addressed within the stipulated timeframe.

“Parents should be patient as the seven days commenced today for the revision, and I am asking all of you to take up the period given,” Bitok added.

The Ministry of Education on Sunday, December 21, announced a seven-day review window for the placement of Grade 9 learners into senior schools following the release of the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) results. The move was aimed at addressing concerns from parents and candidates dissatisfied with the initial placement outcomes.