MoE issues guidelines for Grade 10 student placement, reversing stance on Mathematics option.

MoE issues guidelines for Grade 10 student placement, reversing stance on Mathematics option.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has revealed the standards that will govern the placement of Grade 10 students under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

Senior school, encompassing Grades 10 to 12, is set to commence officially in January 2026, signifying the transition for the inaugural Grade 9 group.

Addressing the matter on Wednesday, MoE deputy director, Fred Odhiambo, mentioned that senior schools will be categorized into four types: pathways, accommodation, gender, and special needs.

The pathways will be split into two; double pathways representing Science Technology Engineering, Mathematics and Arts and Sports Science (STEAMS) on one side, and triple pathways consisting of STEM, Arts and Sports, and Social Sciences.

In the accommodation category, there will be day senior schools for those commuting home daily and hybrid senior schools for students who both live at the school and elsewhere.

As per the guidelines, gender divisions will be made up of Single Sex (girls-only and boys-only schools) and mixed-sex institutions where both genders are admitted.

The Special needs category will include Special needs for school – Hearing, Visual and Physically impaired and Vocational senior schools accommodating learners with autism, cerebral palsy, cognitive difficulties, and deaf-blindness.

For the pathway selection, learners will choose 12 schools for their preferred pathway, which details four schools in the first-choice track and subject combination, another four in the second-choice subject combination, and the final four for the third-choice subject combination.

Odhiambo noted that from the 12 schools chosen in the pathway category, 9 will be boarding institutions, with three coming from the students’ home county and six from outside their home county/county of residence, while the remaining three will be day schools, with students originating from their home sub-county/sub-county of residence.

“Regarding pre-selection, a school that does not permit open placement can request to be pre-selected if it aligns with the guidelines established by the Ministry of Education,” he stated.

He further indicated that placement will be determined by the learner’s preferences, merit, psychometric assessments, equity, and school capacity.

During the admission and replacement process, he mentioned that placement results will indicate where students have been assigned.

“Admission letters/joining instructions will be available online using the learner’s assessment number, with both public and private schools admitting Grade 10 through the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS),” he clarified.

“No principal shall enter a student into KEMIS before they physically report to the school. Daily online reporting will be tracked through KEMIS. ”

The guidelines specify that schools with available slots must announce these through their respective county directors of education, and students wishing to transfer schools must submit requests via the heads of junior schools at least two weeks prior to the official Grade 10 reporting date.

“Priority will be granted to those who previously selected the schools they are requesting, with approvals from the Ministry of Education based on the documented capacities of senior schools,” he concluded.
“Upon the approval of a request, the instructions for joining will be available online. Please note that at no point will a school provide printed letters for cases of replacement. Replacement will occur only once and will be final. ”

An automated placement system will evaluate the student’s interests, the teacher’s feedback, and academic achievements.
Furthermore; Mathematics will stay obligatory in primary and secondary schools, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has now stated.

Ogamba indicated that this decision follows comprehensive discussions with stakeholders, during which a proposal made last month to render it optional was abandoned.

“Most stakeholders during the competency-based county dialogues believed that mathematics should remain mandatory in senior school,” Ogamba expressed on Thursday, April 24.

Arts students will now be expected to study a simplified version of the subject.

This contrasts with the original suggestion to make Maths optional for learners under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), representing a significant shift from the phased-out 8-4-4 system.

In that system, students would have been required to take four mandatory subjects: English or Kenya Sign Language, Kiswahili, Physical Education, and Community Service Learning, while selecting three additional subjects from a list of 38 available options.

However, this approach has now been abandoned by the government.
“We have taken your concerns into consideration, consulted with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), and decided that some form of mathematics will be compulsory for the two non-STEM pathways,” Ogamba stated.

According to the Education CS, students following the STEM pathway will study pure mathematics, while the other two pathways will feature a simplified version of formal math.

“Some form of mathematics will be necessary for the two pathways that are not STEM pathways. This will ensure that mathematics is included across all three pathways in senior schools,” he added.
This development follows heavy criticism from educators, education stakeholders, and parents.

On May 13, the then-basic education permanent secretary Belio Kipsang’ announced that mathematics will no longer be a required subject for learners moving on to senior secondary school, representing one of the most significant changes under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

Instead, he added that students will need to take English or Kenya Sign Language, Kiswahili, Physical Education, and Community Service Learning as compulsory subjects, while selecting from a pool of 38 options to shape their academic and career paths.