Some of the top performers in Kenya’s 2022 Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam are crying bitterly after missing out on desirable places in higher education.
The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) revealed the placement results of last year’s high school students on Monday, July 31.
An alumnus of Pangani Girls’ High School is now in danger of missing out on the career path she wanted after being placed in a vocational and technical education and training (TVET) institution to attend the course.
The young girl, whose identity is still being kept a secret, surpassed herself at KCSE 2022, in which she scored a minimum of A- (minus), a little way from the coveted A.
She told Citizen TV that with her remarkable results, the young girl has a medical degree, with a preference for dentistry. However, she was shocked to learn that she had enrolled at Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) to pursue a diploma in nutrition and dietetics.
“The message notified me that I had been offered a place at the Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) to study Diploma in Nutrition and Dietetics. I scored A- in last year’s KCSE and I was expecting to be booked the course I had selected,” she said.
Unsatisfied with the placement, the girl made her way to the KUCCPS offices in Nairobi to seek a review.
Her effort did not, however, pay off, as she was asked to return a couple of days later.
The Pangani alumna’s concern is that she may end up undertaking a course not commensurate with her high educational capabilities considering the results she posted in the national examinations.
She got the option to sponsor herself for her favourite degree programme, but her parents’ financial constraints tend to pose the stumbling block.
“Even if I return next week, I will find all the reasonable courses taken. I now don’t know which program or university I will take. If I chose to go the parallel way, then I may not make it due to my parents’ financial challenges,” she said.
While unveiling the placement results, Machogu announced that of 870, 561 qualified candidates for placement into colleges and universities, only 285,698 applied for the places through the KUCCPS systems.
He stated that 140, 107 students were placed into degree programmes.
Another bunch of 144, 500 students were placed into TVET institutions, with 560 applicants getting admission into Secondary Teacher Training Institutes.
“A total of 9,673 applicants who qualified for degree courses chose to be placed in TVET institutions,” Machogu said.
