Grade 10 Placement Shake-Up as Parents Allowed to Apply for Schools of Choice
The Ministry of Education has announced a fresh opportunity for parents and guardians to seek alternative Grade 10 placements for their children, following mounting complaints over the initial allocation of learners to senior secondary schools.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba confirmed that a second placement review phase will run from January 6 to January 9, 2026, allowing families to request admission at senior schools of their choice under Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The move comes after widespread concern from parents and education stakeholders who argued that the initial and revised placements did not adequately reflect learners’ preferences, academic pathways, or personal circumstances.
In a statement issued on Friday, January 2, Ogamba said the additional review period would provide a final opportunity for reassessment, but stressed that only applications supported by “legitimate and verifiable” reasons would be considered.
“As earlier indicated, interested learners will have a further opportunity to apply for review of their placement from 6th January, 2026, to 9th January, 2026,” Ogamba said.
“The revision will provide parents, guardians and learners the opportunity to provide legitimate and verifiable grounds to justify a reconsideration of the initial or revised placement.”
The Cabinet Secretary noted that the first revision phase, which followed the initial Grade 10 placements, was concluded on December 29, 2025. Joining instructions for learners who have already been successfully placed have been accessible on the official placement portal since December 30.
According to the ministry, the second review phase will be tightly controlled to ensure fairness and efficient use of available school spaces, as the government seeks to balance parental choice with capacity constraints in senior schools across the country.
Ogamba explained that parents wishing to pursue a further review may do so either through their child’s junior secondary school or directly at the senior school they are seeking admission to, depending on the nature of the request.
All applications will be submitted by heads of institutions via the placement portal and processed in line with procedures already outlined by the Ministry of Education.
“The requests will be handled strictly within the existing placement framework to ensure transparency and equity,” the ministry said.
The Grade 10 placement exercise marks a critical stage in the rollout of the Competency-Based Curriculum, which replaced the former 8-4-4 system and introduced senior secondary education as a distinct learning phase. Under the CBC structure, Grade 10 serves as the entry point into senior school, where learners pursue pathways aligned to their talents, interests and career goals.
The ministry also confirmed that all basic education institutions will reopen for Term One of the 2026 academic year on Monday, January 5, just one day before the second review window opens.
Regional Directors of Education and County Directors of Education have been instructed to oversee school reopening and ensure strict compliance with the national academic calendar.
As schools prepare to resume, the ministry urged parents and guardians to follow official placement channels and adhere to the stated timelines to avoid unnecessary disruptions at the start of the academic year.
“The transition to senior school is a key milestone under the CBC, and cooperation from all stakeholders is essential to ensure a smooth and orderly process,” the statement added.
The government has repeatedly maintained that the placement system is designed to promote equity and optimal utilisation of school resources, even as it continues to respond to concerns raised by families navigating the new curriculum framework.
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Grade 10 Placement Shake-Up as Parents Allowed to Apply for Schools of Choice