The first cohort of Grade 10 learners began reporting to senior secondary schools on Monday, in a major milestone for the rollout of the Competency‑Based Education.

More than 1.13 million pioneer learners were expected to report to their assigned senior schools, where three career pathways--STEM, Social Sciences, and Arts & Sports--guide senior secondary education under the new system.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, who monitored the reporting exercise in Murang’a County, said authorities were working to ensure a smooth transition and to address challenges such as distance to school, accommodation arrangements, and administrative readiness.

The Ministry of Education had earlier opened placement review windows to allow parents and learners who were unhappy with their school assignments to seek corrections.

In late December, CS Ogamba said that 88 per cent of all learners were placed according to their original or reviewed selections and urged learners to report to their assigned schools from January 12.

While many schools reported a largely smooth opening, some parents and school heads raised concerns over systems glitches and delays in placement information, fuelling calls from organisations like the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) to activate support platforms to ease admissions.

The placement system for Grade 10, managed through an automated digital platform, evaluates learners’ Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) performance and their school and pathway preferences to assign placements.

The placement process has sparked public debate, with some leaders questioning aspects of fairness and equity in how learners were distributed across national and extra‑county schools.

Former Deputy President and Democracy for the Citizens (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has maintained that the system should be fairer to local learners in national schools.

During a live interview with Kameme on Monday, he noted that in some cases, high‑performing students from certain regions were placed in distant schools, while other learners secured slots closer to home.

He has argued that the placement of learners should recognise local investment in educational infrastructure and promote equity.

Government officials have defended the system as transparent and merit‑based.