Last year’s KCSE candidates to apply for university slots

Students who sat their KCSE exam last year will start applying for university slots next week.

This year, the selection and placement will further be extended to cover colleges and technical and vocational institutions to cater for those who did not meet the university cut-off mark.

Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service chief executive officer John Muraguri yesterday said they have been preparing the required data to facilitate the selection process.

“We have completed the process. Next week we will invite those eligible for selection to fill their preferred courses and universities,” Muraguri told the Star by phone.

The revision is expected to run through February, before KUCCPS starts placement.

Muraguri said students will be expected to report to their respective universities from August after the selection is over.

Like last year, students who scored a minimum grade of C+ in the KCSE exam will be eligible for placement in public and private universities to pursue degree courses.

However, a student will only be admitted to take a course after attaining a minimum grade required in all the subjects.

The admission will also be on merit affirmative action and will be guided by students choices.

Of the 660,204 who sat the 2018 KCSE exam, 90,377 attained C+ and above.

This is 20,000 more students than the 70,073 that made it to university last year.

Last year, the universities of Nairobi, Moi, JKUAT and Kenyatta were among the most sought after. About 70 per cent of students who attain university cut-off marks.

Last year, colleges only accounted for 553 students, who proceeded for higher education to pursue state-funded diploma programmes against a capacity of 54,927.

Less than a quarter of the available 22,959 slots were taken up for certificate courses.

Sources at the placement agency said this year, the ministry is pushing for full take up of slots available at the Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions.

With about 500,000 slots up for the take, the ministry says TVETs are key to ensure 100 per cent transition from secondary to higher education.

However, the intake has been relatively slow, registering just 75,000 candidates.

Speaking in an interview with the Star recently, Education CS Amina Mohamed said the ministry plans to expand the institutions to accommodate more students.

“The Big Four agenda runs on skills. Building, manufacturing and agriculture all depend on skilled people to work there. TVET is the answer so we will continue campaigning for increased enrollment,” she said.