The Ministry of Education has released the official timetable for the nationwide selection and placement of Grade 9 learners into senior secondary schools, marking a critical milestone in the ongoing rollout of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
According to a circular issued by the ministry, the selection exercise will run from August 24 to September 11, during which learners will choose their preferred senior schools, career pathways and subject combinations ahead of joining Grade 10 in 2027.
Basic Education Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa has directed Regional, County and Sub-county Directors of Education to supervise implementation of the exercise across the country.
“The Ministry of Education is rolling out the process of selection and placement of Grade 9 learners for the year 2026. This process ensures that all Grade 9 learners select pathways, subject combinations and schools and are effectively placed in senior schools in 2027,” the circular stated.
Before learners begin making their choices, the ministry will conduct a series of virtual sensitisation sessions targeting education officials and school administrators between August 3 and August 11. The rollout begins on August 3 with a briefing for Sub-County Quality Assurance and Standards Officers and Sub-County Directors of Education.
Between August 4 and August 6, sub-county officers will declare Grade 10 school capacities through the ministry’s digital system, while senior school principals will undergo virtual training before updating available pathways and subject combinations between August 6 and August 8. Regional and County Directors, together with Quality Assurance and Standards Officers, will hold a separate sensitisation session on August 6, followed by training for junior school heads from August 7 to August 11.
The exercise coincides with the second CBC cohort’s preparation for the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), which will guide placement into senior school. Under the CBC framework, learners will select from three broad pathways: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; Social Sciences; and Arts and Sports Science, a departure from the examination-based placement used under the former 8-4-4 system.
The announcement follows the inaugural Grade 9 transition process conducted months earlier, which was accompanied by complaints from parents and school administrators over delays, technical glitches and confusion around placement procedures. In response, the ministry says it has stepped up sensitisation efforts and expanded digital support systems ahead of this year’s exercise, even as some schools continue to raise concerns over shortages of classrooms, laboratories and specialised teachers needed to support the new pathways.
