Ministry of Education Dismisses Raising University Entry Grade to B-

The Ministry of Education has dismissed allegations of plotting significant changes in university entry requirements for the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates. 

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba in a brief statement on Monday, refuted claims of the government’s plan to raise the university entry grade from the usual grade C+ to grade B-.

Ogamba termed the allegations as false and misleading, and urged Kenyans particularly parents and students not to fall for such information.

The CS was forced to clarify the matter after Kenyans expressed concerns after a controversial article claimed that the ministry was planning to hike the entry grades ahead of the release of the KCSE exams.

According to the flagged post, the CS had purportedly announced the plans during a press briefing where he emphasized the importance of maintaining the quality of graduates in a highly competitive job market.

“This announcement marks a departure from the traditional university entry grade of C+, which has been the standard for years,” read part of the flagged article.

The latest clarification comes as the marking of the KCSE examinations nears conclusion with the examiners expected to finalise the process before the start of the 2025 school calendar.

The marking began four weeks ago, on November 27, following the completion of the KCSE on November 22, after three weeks of the examinations. 

This also follows a week after the Education CS announced that the exam results would be released in January 2025 and not December this year due to delays caused by several factors.

Ogamba revealed that the delays were caused by the high number of candidates who sat for the exams and the extensive scrutiny that is currently ongoing to contain cheating.

According to the education CS, 965,501 candidates registered for the 2024 KCSE exams, the largest number in the history of the national examinations.

“This year’s examination is unique due to the large number of candidates. We are taking additional time to ensure there are no discrepancies or instances of malpractice in the results,” noted a KNEC official who told the press.