The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has announced that the results for the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) will be disclosed in the second week of January.
Machogu stated that the 903,260 students who completed their final secondary school exams in November 2023 will learn their outcomes around mid-January. The marking process has been completed, and the current focus involves compiling, verifying, and validating the marks to ensure the release of credible results, as explained by CS Machogu in an exclusive interview.
Notably, the 903,260 KCSE candidates will experience a new grading system designed to increase university enrollment. Introduced in August, the grading structure, recommended by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms, reduces the number of compulsory subjects and emphasizes proficiency in selected areas. Under the new system, students will be graded based on their performance in two mandatory subjects, namely Mathematics and any language (English, Kiswahili, or National Sign Language), departing from the previous system that required grading in seven subjects.
This modification aims to boost overall scores, enabling more students to qualify for post-secondary education. The Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) has eliminated the previous mandate of five subjects, anticipating an increase in the number of candidates qualifying for higher education.
CS Machogu expressed concern about last year’s candidates, revealing that nearly 40% (around 354,000) had D, D-, and E grades. He emphasized that the previous system disadvantaged learners whose best subjects were not considered if they were not within a specific cluster.
Machogu highlighted the Competency-Based Curriculum, providing learners with three pathways in Senior School: Social Sciences, Arts and Sports, and Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). He reassured the public that the KCSE results would be credible.
