Anxiety is mounting among parents and learners who sat the Grade Nine assessment following delays in the release of Grade Ten school placement results.
This is despite assurances from the Ministry of Education that the placement exercise would run smoothly from December 15 to December 19, 2025.
The ministry had stated that the process would be fully automated and completed on time to allow learners to prepare for reporting to senior school in the second week of January.
Parents, however, say the delays are causing uncertainty as schools are set to reopen in less than two weeks.
Anne Ndunge, a guardian from Makueni County, expressed her frustration after failing to access the placement results through the official SMS platform.
“I tried checking this morning but it failed. I used the number 22263 as instructed, but nothing comes up.
The message says, ‘Dear learner, the requested information is unavailable.’ Now I don’t know what to do. Should we send someone to school to inquire? Schools reopen in two weeks, and we need to plan,” she said.
Last Thursday, during the release of the first Kenya Junior School Assessment (KJSEA) results, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos assured parents that learners would receive information on their pathways and senior school placements within a week.
“We are using a digital system to place learners immediately, and we are confident that by next week they will know where they have been placed and can confirm,” he said on December 11.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok added that learners who felt they had been placed in the wrong pathway or school would be given an opportunity to request a review within two weeks.
On Wednesday, PS Bitok further confirmed that the placement process was nearly complete, offering some relief to anxious parents.
“Placement of Grade Ten learners is underway, and from Friday, December 20, learners will know the schools and pathways they have been placed in,” he said.
Since Monday, parents and learners have been checking placement results by sending assessment numbers to the shortcode 22263.
The response they have consistently received stated that the placement process was still ongoing.
However, late this evening, the response message changed after sending the same details, further raising concern among parents.
They are now urging the Ministry of Education to urgently provide clarity and guidance on the way forward to enable proper preparation ahead of school reopening.
