Data by the Ministry of Education shows that 28,046 candidates scored grade E in the examination compared to 29,318 the previous year and a high of 35,536 in 2017.
The improvement in performance comes as a boost for the State’s 100 percent transition policy which was introduced in 2018 to help in the progression of as many learners as possible to next level of studies.
The number of candidates who scored grade E in the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination dropped for the fourth year in a row, raising hopes of improved learning transition.
Data by the Ministry of Education shows that 28,046 candidates scored grade E in the examination compared to 29,318 the previous year and a high of 35,536 in 2017.
The improvement in performance comes as a boost for the State’s 100 percent transition policy which was introduced in 2018 to help in the progression of as many learners as possible to next level of studies.
“I wish to declare that all the candidates who sat the examinations in 2020 have the ability to progress to other levels under the Government’s plan of zero wastage and 100 percent transition,” Education Cabinet secretary George Magoha said on Monday when he released the 2020 KCSE results.
The 2020 KCSE results show 15,225 boys fell into the grade E category against 12,821 girls.
The number of candidates who scored grade D fell by 15,771 to 121,942 while those who attained grade D- (minus) reduced to 137,361 from 152,339 the previous year.
An additional 22,356 candidates scored grade C in these examinations, raising the total to 85,458 while those achieving a C- (minus) increased 26,096 to 109,454, indicating that a majority of the candidates who sat the tests fell in this category.
Cumulatively, the number of candidates who scored grade C and below increased by 32,642 to 600,159 candidates from 567,517 the previous year.
Candidates who scored grade C and below are absorbed by vocational and technical training colleges, having missed the minimum grade C+ (plus) required to join university.
From the results, the number of candidates with minimum university entry qualification of C+ (plus) and above increased by 17,394 to 143,140 compared to 125,746 in 2019.
Last year, some 2,632 candidates who scored C+ and above in the 2019 KCSE examination and qualified for placement to degree programmes opted for diploma courses in technical institutions.
Prof Magoha said at the time, the number of students preferring to join technical vocational education and training Institutions (TVETs) has been growing.
An increase in the number of candidates scoring C and below now piles pressure on the available spaces in Technical and Vocational Training (Tvet) institutions, Teachers Training Colleges (TTCs) and medical training institutions.
Last year, the State-run Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) outlined a pathway that would see learners in Tvet institutions study up to doctorate level regardless of the grade they scored in secondary schools.
Then, the Tvet Principal Secretary Julius Jwan said KNQA had developed a qualifications framework which would enable candidates who had scored grade E to progress through artisan courses to the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) level.
The students will be able to start from KNQA Level One for primary education to level 10 which is a doctorate degree.
Level One which is a primary certificate will take six years of study, level two will take six years to study a secondary certificate or a national vocational certificate or national skills certificate III.
The number of TTIs in each constituency has grown from 52 in 2013 to 233 in 2021. Out of this number, 52 are operational while 140 have been built, equipped and staffed.
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