KUCCPS to Review Criteria for Course Placement in Universities

The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) will, on November 22, 2021 begin the process of reviewing the criteria for placement of government-sponsored students to universities.

A stakeholders’ meeting will be held at Kenyatta University to set the minimum entry requirements to universities and colleges.

It will include the Universities’ vice-chancellors, their academic registrars, and representatives of the professional bodies.

The urgency to review the current criteria, which were last reviewed in 2017, is due to complaints by students and other education stakeholders that the current system is not balanced.

Wahome noted that an Independent Criteria Review Committee (ICRC) was established to receive, collate, and analyze the proposed changes for degree and TVET programs.

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“The committee looked into each cluster for the degree programs and the respective minimum subject grade requirements and taking into account the requirements provided by professional or regulatory bodies and proposals from the training institutions,” the invitation letter reads.

According to KUCCPS, a lot of changes have been made since the criteria were reviewed in 2017 hence the need for standardization for both Degree, Diploma, and certificate placement

Among the issues the stakeholders meeting is set to iron out is the cluster requirement for a diploma in teaching.

Currently, to qualify for a diploma in teacher training you must have a KCSE Mean Grade of C (plain) with a C grade in English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, and any of the humanities and sciences subjects.

To qualify for a Bachelor of Education (Arts) program on the other hand requires students to have a minimum of C in English and D+ in Mathematics.

These bars have raised issues in the education sector that the admission requirements for the diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE) lockout many students.

The stakeholders meeting is also expected to review cluster subjects for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (Stem) programs that often offer the most competitive courses in the country