400 Kitui principals to be trained on career choice
Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (Kuccps) will this week train secondary school principals from Kitui on students’ course selection process.
The programme, which starts today, will see 400 principals from the county trained on how to guide Form Four candidates on best practices while selecting courses to pursue in colleges and universities.
In a statement yesterday, Kuccps chief executive Dr Mercy Wahome said the agency will today train 130 principals from Kitui Central, Kitui West, Matinyani, Lower Yatta and Katulani sub-counties.
“The aim of the programme is to enable principals to effectively guide the 2021 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education candidates who, besides preparing for the examinations, have been selecting degree and technical and vocational education and training courses they wish to pursue,” said Wahome.
Officials drawn from Ministry of Education, Teachers Service Commission, Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association and County Government of Kitui will also attend the training.
Centre application
Similar workshops will be expected at Chuluni Girls, AIC Sombe Girls, Mwingi Boys, Kyuso Boys and Mutomo Girls Secondary School.
Data from Kuccps indicates that out of the 10,437 secondary schools that presented KCSE candidates last year, only 2,506 completed the centre application.
Candidates that failed to apply lost an opportunity for career guidance, and possibly placement to courses of their choice.
Kuccps has since embarked on sensitisation of secondary school principals following concerns that many have continually failed to submit their candidates’ choices of universities and colleges.
Failure to submit the applications has in some instances cost learners a chance to access government sponsorship to tertiary institutions. Last month, Kuccps conducted a similar sensitisation workshop for more than 200 principals in Isiolo from 10 secondary schools were trained.
Last year, Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha warned that action would be taken against secondary schools, which do not facilitate course selection for their Form Four learners.
“We have continued to observe low participation by schools in this process. This is a bad indictment on our career teachers who must have failed to carry out their duty,” said the CS.
He made the remarks last August when he released Kuccps results of students to join universities and colleges for the 2021/22 cycle.
“If the institution fails to forward applications for candidates, that is systemic failure and I urge TSC to address this,” said Magoha.
