The Ministry of Education has introduced a new grading system, requiring students awaiting admission to Universities, TVET institutions, and colleges to follow revised procedures when pursuing their desired courses.
During the release of the 2023 KCSE results in Eldoret on Monday, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu announced changes in entry requirements, emphasizing that the adjustments aim to enable more students to pursue courses of their choice.
“In a departure from tradition, this is the first KCSE examination results to be released under a new grading structure that was implemented in the 2023 KCSE examination. The reviewed grading system was approved by the Council as per Council Resolution No. 2/C 18th September/ 2023/1,” Machogu announced.
The system takes into account the overall grade of KCSE results, considering Mathematics, the top-performing language subject among English/Kiswahili/Kenyan Sign Language, and the best-performing five subjects.
“The new reform measure will allow a larger number of students to pursue courses of their choice at the universities, Diploma and TVET training at Certificate and Artisan levels than was previously when the grading was more restrictive,” Machogu added.
Objective of New KCSE Grading System
The CS explained that the objective of this initiative is to ensure candidates possess essential literacy (English or Kiswahili) and numeracy skills (mathematics) necessary for pursuing careers in TVET institutions, universities, and colleges.
To facilitate this alignment, Machogu issued directives to the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) and universities, urging them to adjust their 15 cluster points and entry requirements in accordance with the new reforms to prevent any disadvantage to the candidates.
“Additionally, I direct KUCCPS to mount a robust career awareness campaign among the 2023 KCSE candidates to ensure all students understand the new TVET and universities entry requirements under the Higher Education Funding Model that was launched last year,” CS Machogu said.
2023 KCSE candidates aspiring to enroll in TVET institutions will be admitted in March 2024.
