Available Courses for Students who Scored Below C+ in KCSE

The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results for the KCSE class of 2021 are out! While announcing the KCSE 2021 results today, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Prof. George Magoha, noted that out of the 826,807 students who sat for the 2021 KCSE examinations, the number of candidates with minimum university entry qualification of Grade C+ and above was 145,145 (17.49%) compared to 143,140 (19.03%) in 2020 KCSE.

Prof. Magoha was quick to call for more investment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions where the bulk (over 82%) of our 2021 KCSE graduands will study. With over 82% of the 2021 KCSE students eligible for TVET pathways where they will be able gain the much needed skills for a competent workforce, the future is bright for this group of students who will play a major role in the transformation of Kenya into a skill-based economy in tandem with the Kenya Vision 2030! Recent economic giants like China and Singapore have achieved quick economic growth through skilling their workforce.

What career options are available for the majority of 2021 KCSE students who scored below a mean grade of C+? Those with a mean grade of C and C- are qualified to pursue Diploma (Level 6) courses in TVET Institutions. Students who scored a mean grade of D+ and D are qualified for Certificate (Level 5) courses, while those with D- and E are qualified for Artisan (Level 4) courses in various TVET institutions. With the implementation of the Kenya National Qualification Framework (KNQF) by the The Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA), even those outside this category i.e, those who completed KCPE but never completed secondary school are eligible to join Level 3 courses in TVET colleges. This essentially means that one can progress to join university and pursue Bachelor, Masters, and Doctorate degrees regardless of the grades achieved in the KCSE.

What does this mean?

Students who score below a C+ in their KCSE can apply to join TVET Colleges like Bartmore Technical College where they can be trained on skills which they can apply immediately to earn a living as an employee or a self-employed person OR opt for advancing to a university of their choice for a Bachelors Degree. Below are the progression paths for those who want to advance to university;

Mean grade of C and C- => join Diploma (Level 6) course in a TVET College => advance to a university for a Bachelors Degree;

Mean grade of D+ and D => join Certificate (Level 5) course in a TVET College => Advance to Diploma (Level 6) course in a TVET College => advance to a university for a Bachelors Degree;

Mean Grade D- and E => join Artisan (Level 4) course in a TVET College => advance to Certificate (Level 5) course in a TVET College => Advance to Diploma (Level 6) course in a TVET College => advance to a university for a Bachelors Degree.