Senior School Selection Framework: Uncertainty Surrounds Grade 9 Transition as Ministry Delays Guidelines.
Grade 9 learners and their parents continue to face confusion due to the Ministry of Education’s delay in releasing critical guidelines for selecting senior schools and academic pathways, a process scheduled to begin in January 2026. This marks the first time learners will make school selections based on career paths under the competency-based education (CBE) framework.
Initially, the Ministry had indicated that the selection process would commence on May 20, 2025, ahead of the April school break. However, during a national conference on CBE held earlier this month, the Ministry’s Director for Secondary Education, William Sugut, revised the timeline, stating the selection would take place between May 26 and June 15, 2026.
Despite these announcements, no selection activity has started, and both learners and their guardians remain unaware of how the process will unfold. Top education officials contacted were unable to provide a definite timeline for the release of the official guidelines, although the Cabinet Secretary has publicly maintained that the process is ongoing and running efficiently.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba insisted that the transition to senior school was progressing smoothly. He affirmed that the Ministry, in collaboration with stakeholders, had already developed transition and placement frameworks and that Grade 9 learners were actively participating in the selection process without any complications.
During the 28th graduation ceremony of Tambach Teachers Training College, Ogamba stated that he was pleased with the progress. He instructed junior school heads to ensure that career masters collaborate with parents in guiding learners. “Having successfully developed transition and placement guidelines together with stakeholders earlier this year, I am happy to announce that the exercise of making Senior School choices by our current Grade 9 learners is going on without a hitch,” he said.
However, a senior ministry official, speaking off the record, clarified that the current activities are merely sensitisation efforts aimed at informing parents, teachers, and students before the actual selection at the end of the second term.
The national chair of the Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association (Kepsha), Fuad Ali, confirmed that schools have not received formal directives. Although schools have begun discussing general information with parents and students, he revealed that they were still waiting for specific instructions. Ali remarked that only informal talks had started and that some students had an idea of what they wanted to pursue, but without guidance, the process remained stalled.
“We are still waiting for clear directions from the Ministry of Education to open the portal. So far, we’ve only started talking to parents. Some learners are aware of what they are going to choose,” said Mr Ali.
Deputy Secretary-General of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), Moses Nthurima, called on the ministry to swiftly issue clear directives. He noted that teachers are expected to support learners in making academic decisions but are uncertain how to proceed without proper training or information. “The ministry needs to move fast and help teachers through inductions on how to identify areas that learners will socialise with,” he stated.
Under the CBE system, students transitioning to senior school are required to study seven subjects — four core and three optional — aligned with one of three pathways: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); Social Sciences; or Arts and Sports Science.
Senior schools will be categorised as either triple or double pathway institutions. Triple pathway schools will offer all three options, while double pathway schools will provide STEM and one additional option. Despite the structured framework, learners are yet to receive the necessary details, even with only five months left before the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment.
In the new model, each learner will select a total of 12 schools. They will start with their first subject combination, choosing four schools: a day school, a boarding school within their home county, and two boarding schools outside their county.
This selection will then be repeated for their second and third subject combinations. Ultimately, learners will select nine boarding and three day schools. The boarding schools will be split with three in the home county and six from outside, while the three day schools will be chosen from the learner’s sub-county.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary-General Collins Oyuu emphasised the importance of clear and consistent communication from the Ministry. He argued that poor communication fuels public anxiety and misinformation. He reminded officials that past education reforms, including the 8-4-4 system and the initial rollout of CBC, had also triggered confusion, which could have been mitigated with proper engagement.
“The ministry must speak. When they remain silent, panic spreads among parents like bushfire,” said Mr Oyuu. He added that the situation might not be as bad as it seems but silence makes it worse, urging the ministry to offer regular updates to calm public concerns.
Teachers in arid and semi-arid regions have raised concerns about how the selection process will accommodate learners in disadvantaged areas. Without tailored considerations, there is fear that these students may miss out on critical opportunities due to a lack of infrastructure and support.
Wangonya Wangenye, national secretary of the Kenya Teachers in Hardship and Arid Areas Welfare Association, questioned how learners in remote regions, many without electricity or internet, would be able to make informed choices.
“It’s June already and we don’t know how the learners are going to choose their pathways,” he said. “How do those learners get to make informed choices on whether to pursue STEM, Arts or Social Sciences?”
Silas Obuhatsa, chair of the National Parents Association, stressed the need for cooperation among education stakeholders. He noted that ensuring learners’ success, especially as exams approach, requires active engagement. He also encouraged parents to stay alert and be ready once the Ministry releases the official guidelines.
Read Also: TSC to Recruit 24,000 More Teachers by Year-End – Education PS Julius Bitok
“I want to keep on recognising parents, to keep on watching out for the guidelines to prepare for their exams,” said Mr Obuhatsa.
As delays persist and communication gaps widen, parents, teachers, and learners remain anxious, seeking clarity and direction from the Ministry of Education to move forward with confidence.
Senior School Selection Framework: Uncertainty Surrounds Grade 9 Transition as Ministry Delays Guidelines.