The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has provided an explanation regarding the placement of a Pangani Girls High School student in a diploma course at a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institution despite scoring an A- in the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
The unidentified student had initially chosen strong science courses at top universities in line with her impressive 40-point cluster. Her first and second choices were for Dentistry, followed by Medicine, and she concluded with Nursing at the University of Nairobi.
However, when the placement results were released, she found herself selected for a diploma course in Nutrition and Dietetics at the Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology, which left her feeling disappointed and shocked.
KUCCPS Chief Executive Agnes Wahome clarified that the student's academic achievements qualified her for some of the course titles she had chosen. However, the universities she aimed for demanded higher cut-off points for those specific courses, resulting in her placement in a diploma program.
Dentistry, for instance, had very limited slots, and only students who scored straight As were granted admission. Similarly, Medicine and Nursing had high levels of competition, requiring a higher cut-off mark than what the student attained.
Wahome emphasized that KUCCPS prioritizes the first choices made by students during the placement process. If a student misses their first choice, the system proceeds to the second and then the fourth choices accordingly. In this case, since the student's first choice was Dentistry, which had limited capacity, and her other choices were highly competitive, she was eventually placed in her diploma choice at Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology.
The KUCCPS official advised the student to take advantage of the third revision opportunity to select a course that aligns with her interests and qualifications. The portal will reopen in a week's time to allow students to make adjustments to their choices.
KUCCPS reported that 285,167 students applied for placement in universities, TVET institutions, and secondary teacher training colleges. Surprisingly, 23,125 students who qualified for degree programs did not apply, and 136,592 students did not apply for diploma courses. This leaves 483,457 vacant spaces across universities and TVETs, creating opportunities for interested students to secure their preferred courses in the third revision.