The selection of students joining Form One this year will start on January 20, three weeks after the release of the Standard Eight examination results.
According to information from the Education ministry, those selected will report on February 2.
Selection will begin with national schools followed by county and district schools.
Traditionally, Form One selection takes place a week after the release of the exam results. But this time round, it seems the selection has been delayed because of a teachers’ strike threat that is likely to affect reopening of schools on Monday.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) issued the strike notice on December 27, stating that its members would down their tools on January 5 should the government fail to award them a new salary package.
The Teachers Service Commission on Wednesday placed an advert in the dailies urging the union to call off the strike and invited its officials for a meeting on Saturday to resolve the impasse.
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Teachers has also joined the strike call. The union asked its members not to participate in the Form One selection.
In line with the guidelines issued in December, Form One selection will be determined by scores obtained by candidates, quotas (allocating places for children from public and public schools on a pro-rata basis), affirmative action in terms of region and gender and candidates’ choices.
The guidelines also outlined the way schools would be classified for Form One admission — national, extra-county, county, sub-county and special needs.
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The best mark recorded so far in last year’s KCPE exam was 441, attained by Tracy Okwach of Nairobi’s New Light Academy, followed by Russell Otieno Omondi of Awelo Primary School in Siaya, who had 440 marks.
The planned admissions come in the wake of a debate about a ban on ranking of schools in national exams.
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