Shocking statistics about this year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination results have emerged.
An analysis of the results released on Friday by Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed shows there was a mass failure in 2018 KCSE exam.
More than 50 percent of the 660,204 candidates who sat for this year’s examination didn’t attain a grade that can allow them to pursue any professional course.
A total of 343,897 students scored a mean grade of D (stand) and below, meaning they can’t be admitted for any professional courses or be recruited to the police service, where one is required to at least have a D+.
Of the 343,897 candidates, 147,918 attained grade D (stand), 165,139 scored a D- (minus) while 30,840 students got an E.
Some 40,707 candidates who got C and another 71,047 who attained C- are eligible to join technical, vocational and teachers training colleges.
Only 90,377 (13.77 percent) of the total number of those who sat the tests attained the minimum university entry grade of C+, up from 70,073 candidates in 2017.
The number of students who scored an A in this year’s test rose to 315, up from 142 candidates in 2017.
Last year, leaders and stakeholders called for a probe into mass failure in KCSE 2017 exam after over 350,000 candidates scored D and below.
“Close to 90 percent of the KCSE candidates have failed. This is very worrying. As the country commits resources to free learning and scales up enrolment, the whole purpose and value for money is lost when close to 90 percent of those students eventually fail,” Opposition leader Raila Odinga said.
To rescue this crisis we…
To rescue this crisis we should ammend the university cut off for degree courses be C constant.Then D+ and C- be of diploma coursesand the rest be of certificate courses
Good idea mr Brian, I…
Good idea mr Brian, I totally support you, I with the government can do that.
What are the aims of such a…
What are the aims of such a curriculum to the country? A curriculum that condemns more than 50% of its students every year is a weeding curriculum and not empowering young people of the country. I doubt if MoE and KNEC adhere to the learning outcomes in the curriculum when preparing the examinations. As I have put before we need assessment that is based on sound learning outcomes. Our education lacks some major things a) actively engaging students in learning process b) Sound assessment plans c) inclusiveness d) sustainability.
Compounded by under preparedness of our teachers, the bureaucracy in MoE and poor leadership the education sector is going to down the drain very fast.
Poor education means more than grades, it means poverty, corruption, crime, national insecurity, food insecurity, environmental and ecological degradation, poor citizenry, inequality, erosion of democratic rights and the list goes on. On the grand scale of things, mismanagement of the national education system is the height of corruption because it does not only destroy our today but steals from the future of generations to come. It destroys our yesterday, by destroying our reputation as a country of hope south of Sahara and north of Limpopo. It minimizes our potential to compete globally in the long run. Kenya has very capable professionals both in the country and diaspora to run sustainable education that meets the country’s, regional and global standards. Such zealous scholars never get any close MoE, TSC, KNEC, KICD, etc. These divisions of the education system mostly hire internally and then try to educate the hire while at work(example be a director of higher Education research without a PhD,then the hire enrolls for PhD after the fact). This linear hiring practices blocks the injection and flow of new ideas within these institutions which are meant to be very dynamic. Thus denying the country meaningful change it deserves. Hiring needs be strategic, for if you hire the wrong fit, the institution is stuck with the weaknesses for a long time. Gladly Baba has spoken and I hope the handshake goodwill will clean up our education system sooner than later. We don’t want to seem playing guesswork or lottery with the future of the largest section of our population.
I think what the government…
I think what the government should do is to decrease entry grade of University to c plain to sought out this disaster…then C minus for diploma….this will give room for candidates to study their choice courses that would boost ur country education and bring motivation to others on learning to avoid grades like D,D- and Es
The government needs to put…
The government needs to put on hold the changing of this system of education and for once ask: Who are we educating? Why educate? What is the purpose and the goal? What percentage of the education system is being contributed by those We have put through that same system. We cannot keep copying someone else’s system and expect that it will work in our countries. Our kids are failing because they see you don’t need education to succeed in Kenya. Our leaders success is based on corruption, nepotism, and all other isms but not education. From MP’s, Judges, Police, government employees and everyone else.
We learn history of others and not that of black people around the world and not our history either. Now the Germans are talking about “Voluntary Colonization” of Africa.
This kind of talk is very dangerous and our leaders need to clean up their act and wake up.
Kenyans need to wake up and reject new cosmetic education and demand that we improve on what we already have.
Why can’t our government Kenyan’s in the diaspora to unite with locals and and create and fund our own education system. They are the stake holders. We do not need a foreignor funding our education system and dictating the terms. Kenyan’s in the diaspora need a way to fund our education system. If we do not have anything of our own, then anything is damped on us.
We learned English-language during colonization, soon this government is going to dictate we learn Chinese. Who are we and what are we? Where does this stop. We should join hands with other black countries both in Africa and beyond and create an education that takes into consideration the African thinking and African lineage. We dance on the so called ” Handshake” and by the time we wake up, our kids have failed in schools and our country is full of Corruption and has no direction.
Each county should be given a mandate to come up with an education system, then we combine all those systems to come up with one of our own. God give Kenya leaders not politicians. God help Kenya!!
Is it the strength of the…
Is it the strength of the exam that has changed or is it the student’s and how they prep. Many generations have been through these tests. What’s different now?
Wrong education for Abrikans…
Wrong education for Abrikans!! Let government re-evaluate the type of education! God give Kenya leaders not politicians. God help Kenya!!
Why would this be a surprise…
Why would this be a surprise? Its been going on since independence. How can a nation expect to advance if 90% of the population is deemed as a failure. This is a major catastrophe and our leaders do not seem to care.
@Mugikuyu, ithink failure is…
@Mugikuyu, ithink failure is pretty clear,and its indeed a concern, but RAO is embellishing abit.Its not close to 90% .The article says about 50%.
My concern is,even if the failure is 30%,as we struggle to improve,what do we do with those failing?.The articles says they cannot eve qualify for vocational course .
What has changed? This…
What has changed? This generation over 50% mafala.