By Violet Auma ||violetmedia8@gmail.com
The chairperson of Private Schools in Malava Sub-county and Director of Hilltop Sherri Academy, Geoffrey Agesa, has urged the Ministry of Education to ensure fairness and transparency during learner placement following the release of the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) results.
Speaking after the results were announced, Agesa emphasized that placement should be conducted without bias, insisting that learners from both private and public schools deserve equal consideration.
“Even as the government is handling placement, I urge that there should be no bias. All learners from private and public schools should be given the same opportunity, provided they have merited it in their respective pathways,” Agesa said.
He further called on the ministry to fast-track the recruitment of more teachers and the distribution of learning materials, stressing that resources should also reach private schools, which play a pivotal role in the country’s education system.
“This is a new system of education. I urge the ministry to employ more teachers and distribute more books to all schools, including private schools, as they cannot be overlooked,” he added.
Agesa also urged the government to provide clear and detailed guidelines on learner pathways under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBE), noting that both learners and parents require proper orientation to navigate the new system.
He warned against placing learners into the STEM pathway solely because of exam performance, especially when they demonstrate stronger abilities in areas such as sports science or social sciences.
“Learners should be guided early, even at the junior school level, to identify and choose pathways that align with their talents and interests,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hilltop Sherri Academy recorded impressive performance in the recently released KJSEA results, with nine out of eleven candidates scoring EE, and two attaining ME.
“I am proud of our students’ performance in the KJSEA. Out of 11 candidates, nine scored EE and two scored ME. The results reflect the hard work of both students and teachers, and I congratulate them,” Agesa said.
He also highlighted challenges in the new curriculum: “Majority of learners are being placed in STEM, even when their talents lie in sports or social sciences. The examinations focused heavily on cognitive aspects but did not adequately assess skills and talents. As an educationist, I urge the government to also focus on guiding learners toward pathways in social and sports sciences.”
Hilltop Sherri Academy, which began as a charitable initiative supporting pupils from less privileged backgrounds, continues to offer internal scholarships to bright students from low-income families. Currently, six of its students are pursuing higher education thanks to this support.
Agesa added that the school maintains subsidized fees to make education accessible to many local families, calling on goodwill from local and national leaders to help expand opportunities for more learners.
