Graded under a new scoring system, compulsory subjects have reduced from five to just two in determining the candidate’s final score
The 2023 KCSE results are set to be announced today, Monday 8th January 2023, at Moi Girls, Eldoret, by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu. 903,260 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates who sat for the exams last December will finally know their performance six weeks after they sat the exam.
The 2023 KCSE results are significant because they coincide with the introduction of a new grading scheme designed to increase university admissions. The redesigned structure, which was unveiled in August, drops the requirement of compulsory subjects from five to just two in determining the candidate’s final score.
Under the new grading scheme, mathematics and any language between English, Kiswahili, or National Sign Language – will be the compulsory subjects and thus key determinants for university admission.
The other five subjects with the highest grades will be used to determine the remaining marks. The modifications are intended to raise the bar for university admission and are a part of the proposals made by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms.
Under the previous grading system, the five compulsory subjects include (English, Math, Kiswahili, two sciences) and two others.
This shift stems from concerns that the previous system does not favour students whose best subjects didn’t fall within the mandatory cluster. “The current system is disadvantageous to some learners,” explained Mr Machogu. “We are doing this to allow learners to explore subjects they are good at.”
The candidates will also be the second lot of students to be admitted to institutions of higher learning, universities and colleges under the new funding model. Instead of categories, students will now be grouped into bands and all learners will now be required to share the cost of tuition fees with the government.