Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i at a past event. [Photo/ the-star.co.ke]
Form one selection for candidates who sat this year's Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) will officially kick off today (Monday).The nationwide exercise which is expected to last for nine days before it concludes on December 12 will be opened by Education CS Fred Matiang'i at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.The guidelines for the selection are yet to be made public after the government abolished the quota system in the placement of top scorers in this year's KCPE exams.The selection is expected to be based on merit, equity and choice of schools made by the candidates.An official at the Ministry of Education who spoke to The Star on Sunday said the selection process will pay close attention to candidates from marginalised and hardship areas.“We will ensure all candidates who did well get places in the schools they deserve, but considerations will be put on areas where students experience difficult learning environment without discriminating those who have passed well even in areas with a good learning environment,” said the official, as quoted by the daily.Education CSFred Matiang'i while releasing the results said there will be a 100 percent transition to secondary education. According to a statement to newsrooms, out of the 993,718 candidates who sat for this year's KCPE, 903,200 students will join public schools while 90,000 will join private institutions.All candidates who scored 400 marks and above will join national schools regardless of whether they studied in public or private primary schools.