30,000 more to join Form One this year
Brian Maina, a pupil at Kahawa Baptist Academy in Nairobi, is hoisted by his family members after KCPE results were announced. He scored 434 marks. Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i will on January 21, 2016 launch Form One selection, which will see 30,000 more pupils join Form One compared with last year. PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
730,000 pupils expected to join secondary school this year compared with last year’s 696,000.
A total of 927,401 pupils sat the exams last year, 7,000 of whom obtained 400 marks and above and will all be expected to join national schools.
The number of national schools has increased from 18 in 2012 to 103, with an admission capacity of 23,085, up from 4,175.
Pupils who sat the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exams last year will from Thursday know which secondary schools they will join this year.
Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i will Thursday launch Form One selection, which will see 30,000 more pupils join secondary school compared with last year.
About 730,000 pupils are expected to join secondary schools this year, compared with 696,000 last year.
The minister, who will launch the selection at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development in Nairobi, will also spell out new education reforms meant to tackle corruption in the admissions process.
According to a statement from London, where the minister addressed the Education World Forum, Dr Matiang’i said this year’s transition rate from primary to secondary would surpass that of 2014, which stood at 78 per cent.
A total of 927,401 pupils sat the exams last year, 7,000 of whom obtained 400 marks and above and will all be expected to join national schools.
The number of national schools has increased from 18 in 2012 to 103, with an admission capacity of 23,085, up from 4,175.
DIGITAL LEARNING
Presenting a paper titled Developing Effective Use of Technology in Education in the Year Ahead, Dr Matiang’i announced that the government was digitising content for primary school pupils to improve the learning environment.
He explained the measures the government had taken to roll out interactive content for mathematics, science, social studies, English and Kiswahili subjects in a digital literacy programme for lower primary pupils.
He said interactive animations, videos, audios, cartoons, exercises and quizzes had been introduced to improve the learning experience and that Standard Two and Three content would be converted into a universal platform by March.
“We are determined to move fast and catch up with the developed world despite the limitations we face at home,” Dr Matiang’i told the meeting, adding that more than 60,000 teachers had been trained on how to manage the Digital Learning Programme.
The minister called on private publishers to help the government develop more digital content, adding: “Let the Kenya Publishers Association help in content development while the government will supply the materials.”
The Digital Learning Programme is intended to initially reach about 1.3 million learners in Standard One, spread over 22,000 public primary schools, and will then be spread to higher levels of education.
