The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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A day after the Ministry of Education released the first-ever Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) results, many parents and students across the country are struggling to understand the new grading system.
The new competency-based education (CBE) structure uses an eight-level performance scale, leaving many unsure how to interpret their scores and what they mean for the transition to senior school.
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In Kisii County, parents visited local schools seeking explanations from headteachers about the categories: Exceeding Expectation, Meeting Expectation, Approaching Expectation, and Below Expectation.
At Kari Comprehensive School, dozens of parents and students—despite it being a holiday—showed up for guidance on interpreting the pioneer Grade 9 results under the CBE system.
Erick Omboga, a concerned parent, said, “We are finding this system hard to understand. Even I don’t fully grasp it yet, but we hope the teachers here can explain what it all means.”
RAED ALSO: How to Check The 2025 KJSEA Results
Top student at Kari Primary School, Gibios Nyamao, added, “My grades show that arts and sports are my highest areas, but I want to pursue STEM. I’m asking the government to help because I excel in arts and sports, yet my interest is in STEM.”
For the first time, the Ministry has moved away from letter grades (A–E). The top performance is now EE (Exceeding Expectation), while the lowest is BE (Below Expectation), which has confused many parents accustomed to the old points system.
Charles Baraza, a parent from Machakos, said, “Seeing EE on my child’s results was confusing. We are used to points, so we need more guidance from the government to understand these results.”
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Lillian Naymbu added, “When a child says they’ve exceeded expectations, we often don’t know what it means. There are no points or traditional grades, so it’s hard to gauge their performance.”
Guardian Robert Karani echoed the concerns, “Terms like Exceeding Expectation or Meeting Expectation are hard to understand. But with guidance, the children grasp it, and it helps parents follow along.”
Under the new system, each subject is graded out of eight points across nine learning areas, giving a maximum of 72 points. The four performance levels are:
- Exceeding Expectation (EE): 90–100% = 8 points; 75–89% = 7 points
- Meeting Expectation (ME): 58–74% = 6 points; 41–57% = 5 points
- Approaching Expectation (AE): 31–40% = 4 points; 21–30% = 3 points
- Below Expectation (BE): 11–20% = 2 points; 1–10% = 1 point
Headteacher Abed Maseno of Kari School said, “Parents have come with their concerns, and we are addressing them. Teachers have been trained on the new system, and where we are unsure, we consult education officers to guide the families.”
