THE STANDARD
EDUCATION
Education CS George Magoha at Nairobi School on April 21, 2021. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]
The Education ministry will conduct a single selection and placement exercise for Form One students this year.
Previous exercises opened up the process to parents and candidates to select their preferred schools in the second round of selection.
However, competition for spaces in national schools is now higher than before.
Only 8,091 candidates in the 2020 KCPE scored more than 400 marks. These will be given priority in the selection to national schools which have a capacity of about 30,000. With only 103 national schools in the country, Education CS George Magoha said the competition is real.
OPINION
Laikipia West Senator GG Kariuki is congratulated by Retired Major Billow Khalid after they were both awarded a PHD during their graduation at the university of Nairobi graduation square in Nairobi in December 2015.
There is no doubt, as a nation, we are in the midst of multi-pronged turbulent times. Turbulence is a disordered, irregular, stressful period in the life of a community and nations. To win the future in turbulent times calls for management in all sectors, to make sure institutions are built upon culture of meritocracy.
Those institutions have the ambidextrous capacities to survive the blows like the current Covid-19 pandemic. Indispensable leaders, managers with 20/20 foresight under uncertainty, emerge out of such crucial moments as the present one, where societies face existential threats from arrays of factors riding on the Covid-19 waves.
THE STANDARD
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has announced the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) results from the Kenya National Examinations Council in Nairobi.
He said 590,450 or 50.07% of the candidates were boys and 588,742 (49.93 per cent) girls.
Isiolo, Meru, Vihiga, Kwale, Kisii, Kisumu, Kilifi, Bomet and Uasin-Gishu are among 20 counties that had the highest number of female candidates.
According to Prof Magoha, 12,000 candidates did not sit the exam while 26,000 candidates were under 12 years.
The highest number was aged between 13 and 14 years which is the appropriate age.
KEEP READING
Overall performance improved
The highest mark dropped from 440 to 433 in 2020 while public schools clinched 10 out of 15 slots of the best candidates. Girls took the first three top slots.