Over 40,000 students score Grade E in 2024 KCSE exams

Over 40,000 students have attained the lowest grade, E in the just released 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results.

Statistics from the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) reveal that sub-county schools accounted for the majority of these low grades.

Of the 48,333 students who scored a mean grade E, 40,369 were from sub-county schools, representing 83.52 per cent of all E grades recorded. By comparison, national schools recorded 161 grade Es, extra-county schools 115, county schools 1,906, and private schools 5,782.

Sub-county schools also recorded a significant number of lower grades overall, with 125,115 candidates scoring D-, 112,771 attaining D plain, and 78,448 receiving D+.

National schools, in contrast, recorded the highest number of grade As, with 1,375, while sub-county schools produced only nine candidates with the top grade.

Speaking during the release of the results, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba noted that the examination papers were anonymised during marking to ensure fairness and transparency.

Despite the concerning figures, there was a marked improvement in the number of students qualifying for direct university entry. A total of 246,391 candidates scored C+ and above, representing 25.53 per cent of the 2024 candidates, compared to 201,133 (22.27 per cent) in 2023.

The data also showed that 476,889 candidates attained a grade of C-, accounting for 49.41 per cent, compared to 401,216 (44.2 per cent) in the previous year. Additionally, 605,774 candidates achieved a grade of D+ and above, representing 62.76 per cent of the cohort, an increase from 526,222 (58.22 per cent) in 2023.

Out of the 48,333 who scored grade E in 2024, 20,112 were female, while 28,221 were male.

The low grades, often seen as a setback in both academic and career aspirations, continue to attract stigma, with students who attain them facing criticism from family and society.

In 2023, 48,174 candidates scored grade E out of a total of 899,453 candidates.

Former Education CS Ezekiel Machogu expressed his concern about the persistently high number of students scoring the lowest grades, despite the ministry’s efforts to adopt more flexible examination systems.

“It pains me that a large number of candidates still ended up scoring a mean grade of E even though the ministry used a more flexible system of competing for the final overall results,” Machogu said during the results release in Eldoret.

During that time, he instructed the directorate of quality assurance to collaborate with field officers and teachers to investigate the reasons behind the poor performance and submit a report within a month.

Following the 2023 results, the government initiated a programme to ensure students scoring grade E transitioned to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.

Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang urged all students with low grades to join TVETs to train in craft and technical courses, offering an alternative path for further education and skills development.