Some 15,547 applicants who received a C+ or above on the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) test got direct entry into the local universities, while others chose diploma and certificate courses such as plumbing at technical schools.
According to the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), despite achieving the necessary criteria, 10,707 applicants did not apply for degree programs.
In an employment market where university graduates are struggling to find work, another 4,840 people selected Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutes to pursue courses.
The 15,547 applicants represented 10.8% of the 143,140 pupils who qualified for university admission.
The rising number of students who are skipping university is a break from the past, when degrees were regarded as a passport to advancement and a career, driving enrolment levels to all-time highs in recent years.
This has corresponded with the government’s increasing focus on technical colleges in order to meet the need for artisans and technicians in the labour market.
Only 94,275 applicants were put in degree courses of their choosing, according to KUCCPS, out of 131,833 who applied to be considered for placement in TVETs and universities.
“In the spirit of leaving no one behind,” KUCCPS chief executive Agnes Wahome stated, “all efforts are being undertaken to follow 10,707 applicants with C+ and above who failed to register for courses in universities.”
Only 143,140 of the 747,161 applicants who took the 2020 KCSE test received the minimal university admission qualification of C+.
Students are increasingly choosing to enrol in TVETs, indicating that the government’s attempts to increase enrolment in the schools are paying off.
