New deadline for 2021 KCPE, KCSE registration

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha on Monday announced an extension to the 2021 national examinations registration exercise.

The new date will affect candidates scheduled to sit for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examinations (KCSE).

The deadline which had previously been slated for July 31st, 2021 has now been pushed to August 14th, 2021.

A statement from the CS noted that the change had been made following a request from school heads.

"Since the exercise closed on July 31st, 2021, a number of Head Teachers and Principals have requested the Kenya National Examinations Council to allow them time to mop up all candidates that may not have been registered by the deadline owing to one reason or the other, including the school movements attributed to the effects of Covid-19.

"The government has, therefore, decided to extend the registration deadline by two weeks in order to give an opportunity to schools to ensure all candidates are registered, in the spirit of leaving no child behind in the education sector. Therefore, the final registration deadline is August 14th, 2021," the statement read in part.

Education CS George Magoha when he announced results for the 2020 KCSE examination Pulse Live Kenya

Professor Magoha also gave instructions concerning institutions with less than 30 candidates.

"For all examination centres with a candidature of less than 30, and which have legitimate hosting challenges, sub county Directors of Education will seek guidance from KNEC on the way forward. The sub county DoEs have been informed to submit the records of hosted schools to KNEC by September 20th, 2021," the statement read.

CS Magoha confirmed that a total of 1,218,892 candidates and 28,248 centres and 824,392 candidates in 10,384 centres had been registered for the KCPE and KCSE examinations.

"In 2020, 1,191,616 and 753,602 candidates were registered for the KCPE and KCSE respectively. This represents an increase of 2.29% and 9.54% in candidature in the 2021 KCPE and KCSE respectively compared with 2020. The phenomenal increase in KCSE candidature is attributed to the success of the government's policy of 100% transition which started in 2018," the statement read.