Education Ministry Confirms Steady Progress in Grade 10 Transition

By Linet Amuli - Reporter

Kenya, 15 January 2026 - The Ministry of Education has assured parents, learners, and school administrators that the transition of learners to Grade 10 senior school is proceeding well, despite reports of slow reporting in a few institutions.

Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok stated that all 1.1 million learners under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) have already been successfully placed in senior schools across the country. He emphasised that the system has sufficient capacity to absorb every eligible learner.

Speaking during a visit to Alliance Boys High School on Thursday, PS Bitok noted that ministry officials and field teams are actively deployed nationwide to support parents, learners, and school heads to ensure a smooth reporting process.

He encouraged schools to remain accommodating, including receiving learners beyond regular hours and over the weekend, to boost reporting before the deadline.

“The transition is largely on course. Our teams are on the ground to assist parents and learners so that the process runs without disruption,” said PS Bitok.

However, some schools have reported lower-than-expected turnout. School administrators attributed the delay to issues such as double placement errors and parents taking time to decide on preferred schools. In one case, a school expecting over 700 learners had received just above 400 students, as some had initially been assigned to other institutions.

Ministry officials intervened to resolve these challenges, reversing incorrect transfers and ensuring affected learners were admitted to their correct schools.

PS Bitok urged parents to have confidence in the digital placement system, reminding them that school allocations can be confirmed by sending the learner’s index number via SMS to 22263 or by visiting the official placement portal.

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He also noted that parents seeking changes to school placements had until January 16 to submit requests, while cautioning that highly sought-after schools may not be able to accommodate all revision applications due to limited space.

Highlighting the pressure on national and extra-county schools, PS Bitok revealed that more than 50,000 learners applied to just 20 top schools, creating intense competition for a small number of institutions.

“While preferences are understandable, the most important thing is that every learner has a place. Parents are encouraged to accept the schools allocated as the ministry continues to support a smooth transition,” he said.

Education officials confirmed that the ministry will continue monitoring the process in collaboration with county education directors and school principals to address any emerging challenges. The government remains committed to achieving full placement and ensuring a successful start for all Grade 10 learners nationwide.