The Ministry of Education has begun the selection process for over 1.2 million Grade 9 learners under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC)
The ministry launched a digital portal through which learners will choose three subject combinations and four schools per pathway, totaling 12 schools.
The exercise, which runs from June 9 to June 30, will be guided by each student’s academic performance, school capacity, and individual interests.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the new system is designed to align learners with career-focused tracks under the CBC, which offers three pathways: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); Social Sciences; and Arts and Sports Science.
Schools have been classified based on their ability to offer these options, triple pathway schools will host all three tracks, while dual pathway institutions will offer two.
Placement will be based on a weighted scoring system that includes the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA), which accounts for 60 percent of the score, and school-based assessments from Grades 7 and 8, each contributing 20 percent.
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To ensure a smooth process, headteachers are required to upload each learner’s profile and help them rank schools within four regional clusters.
At the same time, principals are expected to declare their projected student intake for 2026 and specify the pathway combinations they will offer.
STEM will be compulsory in all institutions, with at least 15 slots per subject combination. Mathematics, English, Kiswahili, and Community Service Learning will also be mandatory across all tracks.
Kenya Secondary School Heads Association Chairman Willie Kuria expressed confidence in the preparedness of schools.
“Senior school is a pre-career phase. Our job is to ensure every learner is placed where their interests, talents, and academic potential can be nurtured fully,” he said.
The digital selection system is also expected to influence national planning, including teacher deployment, textbook distribution, and the implementation of the proposed Ksh 75 billion school infrastructure budget funding that is yet to be disbursed.
However, a policy requiring learners to select at least nine boarding schools among their 12 choices has sparked concern over equity, especially for students from low-income families. These questions emerge just months ahead of the CBC’s first Grade 10 class in January 2026
