Over 60,000 Student Transfer Requests Declined as Popular Schools Hit Capacity

     

The Ministry of Education has turned down more than 60,000 requests from students seeking transfers to different senior secondary schools following the 2025 Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA), citing inadequate capacity in highly sought-after institutions.

Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok explained that most of the rejected applications involved learners aiming to move to a small group of elite schools that lack the infrastructure to accommodate large numbers. 

He noted that fewer than 20 schools nationwide attracted overwhelming interest from tens of thousands of candidates.

According to the ministry, placement into Grade 10 was conducted through a fully automated system that considered students’ school choices, academic performance, psychometric assessment outcomes, equity requirements, and available capacity in each institution.

“Out of 183,000 transfer applications that were processed, 116,000 were approved while about 66,000 were declined,” Bitok said during an interview on Saturday, December 27. “The major challenge is capacity. You cannot place over 50,000 students into just 20 schools.”

Learners whose transfer requests were unsuccessful have been advised to submit fresh appeals in the first week of January, during which the ministry will consider alternative institutions with available space.

For students whose transfers were approved, admission letters became accessible from Sunday, December 28, allowing them to prepare for reporting to their new schools.

Bitok also expressed concern over the low demand for some schools in certain regions, noting that the ministry is exploring measures to balance enrolment nationwide. 

As part of these efforts, a second revision window for placements is being considered between January 6 and January 9.

The ministry confirmed that students will begin reporting to their respective senior schools on January 12.

The 2025 KJSEA results were released on Thursday, December 11, while Grade 10 placements were announced on Friday, December 19. A total of 1,130,459 learners sat the examination, including 578,630 boys and 551,829 girls.

The Ministry of Education further stated that top performers across STEM, social sciences, and arts pathways would be given priority when allocating boarding school slots based on merit and availability.