PS Bitok: 100,000 requests for change of Grade 10 placement received on day one

Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok speaking at a school in Naivasha on December 23, 2025. /SCREENGRAB

The Ministry of Education received about 100,000 requests for the revision of Grade 10 placement results on the first day of a seven-day review window, highlighting strong demand from parents and learners seeking changes to assigned pathways and school clusters.

Speaking in Naivasha on Tuesday after supervising the exercise at a local school, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said by afternoon, 2,000 of the requests had already been processed and approved, even as he urged patience amid what he acknowledged was a slow start caused by the volume of applications.

A total of 1,130,459 candidates sat the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), comprising 578,630 boys (51.19 per cent) and 551,829 girls (48.81 per cent).

Learners who attained an “Approaching Expectation” result are expected to transition to senior school in Grade 10 on January 12, 2026, where they will pursue pathways in STEM, Social Sciences, or Arts and Sports.

“Of the 1.13 million learners, about 100,000 are interested in revising their pathways. As of 4pm this afternoon, we had processed and approved 2,000 of those requests across clusters C1, C2, C3 and C4,” Bitok said, noting that the approvals include learners seeking to change both pathways and school clusters.

He explained that the placement revision process is fully automated and is being supported by education officers at different administrative levels to speed up approvals.

According to Bitok, approvals for cluster C1 schools — formerly national schools — are being handled at the ministry headquarters in Nairobi.

Cluster C2 approvals, covering former extra-county schools, are being processed by regional directors of education, while county directors are handling cluster C3 (former county schools).

Subcounty directors are responsible for cluster C4 approvals, which cover former subcounty day schools.

Despite the heavy demand, Bitok expressed confidence that the ministry will complete the exercise within the seven-day window.

“We are confident that within seven days, all learners who are interested in revising their choices of clusters will be given an opportunity without discrimination because the system is now digital,” he said.

He revealed that the system experienced pressure during the morning hours on the first day due to the surge in applications, prompting the ministry to request additional storage and bandwidth support from the ICT ministry.

Bitok said the placement review is being conducted through the Kenya Education Information Management System (KEMIS), marking its first large-scale implementation for senior school placement.

“This is the first time we are doing this under KEMIS. I want to call upon all parents and stakeholders to be patient with us as we streamline the system and ensure that every learner gets the pathway of their choice,” he said.

Bitok encouraged parents and learners who still wish to revise their placement choices to utilise the full seven-day period, dismissing concerns that the window is too short.

He said that at the current rate of about 100,000 requests per day, the ministry is well-positioned to handle all applications.

“Depending on the availability of vacancies and pathways, we shall give everybody a chance. After the seven days, we shall review as a ministry to determine whether the period was sufficient or whether more time will be needed,” he said.

The PS said the approval process is being handled by about 400 subcounty directors, 47 county directors, eight regional directors, and more than 20 officers at the ministry headquarters.

In addition, more than 20,000 heads of schools across the country are assisting learners with revision applications.

“A learner does not have to travel to school. You can reach out by phone call or SMS because heads of institutions have the credentials to access the system and make the revisions,” Bitok said.

He added that although schools are closed for the Christmas holidays, head teachers have been instructed to remain on duty to support learners seeking placement changes.