The 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education results were one for the books. For the first time, the number of candidates who met minimum university qualification crossed the 200,000 mark.
That is a milestone worth celebrating as it translates into a greater transition rate into the institutions of higher learning. However, the exam results also produced another dubious record that should concern all and sundry.
While the over 200,000 candidates and their kin are celebrating the results, tens of thousands more are less certain about what comes next. These are the 48,174 candidates who scored Grade E, a record high which translates to 5.3 percent of all learners who sat the exam.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu surmised it succinctly when he says it was a “painful development”.
What becomes of their fate, especially considering that the cut-off grade for technical institutions that have traditionally being safe fallback zones, is above Grade E?
There is need to look into the reasons for such a high fail rate with a view of plugging any policy gaps, if any, that may be identified.
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Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
