NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 11 – The Ministry of Education on Thursday released the first-ever results of the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), marking a major shift from the old Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) grading system.
The new Competency-Based Education (CBE) system, introduced in 2017, emphasizes learners’ skills, strengths, and interests instead of just memorized facts.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba explained that KJSEA uses a different grading system to give a clearer picture of each child’s abilities.
“The KJSEA goes beyond traditional examinations. It focuses on identifying learners’ strengths, aptitudes, and interests, ensuring that every child is placed in an environment where they can excel and realise their full potential,” he said.
Unlike KCPE, which gave marks out of 500 and then a grade, KJSEA uses four main performance levels.
They include: Exceeding Expectation, Meeting Expectation, Approaching Expectation, and Below Expectation.
Each level is further divided into two sub-levels, creating an eight-point scale from 1 to 8, where 8 is the highest.
This makes it easier for teachers, parents, and learners to understand performance.
“The grading aims to separate exemplary performance from average results,” Ogamba said.
For instance, Creative Arts and Sports recorded the strongest performance, with 96.84 percent of learners reaching Approaching Expectation 2 or above, followed by Agriculture (96.24 percent) and Kiswahili (93.11 percent).
Meanwhile, Mathematics and Kenyan Sign Language remain areas needing improvement, with only 32.44 percent and 22.14 percent of learners meeting or exceeding expectations, respectively.
The results will also determine learners’ pathways in Senior School.
“Of the 1,130,459 learners who sat for the 2025 KJSEA, 59.09 percent have shown potential to pursue STEM, 46.52 percent Social Sciences, and 48.73 percent Arts and Sports pathways,” Ogamba said.
Learners and parents can access results online at https://kjsea.knec.ac.ke using the assessment number and any one of the registered names.
For those without internet access, results can be checked via SMS by sending the assessment number to 22263 at Sh30 per message.
Ogmba underscored that the release of the results marks the first time Kenya is moving away from rote-based examinations toward a system that values competence, creativity, and individual potential.
“This is a milestone in Kenya’s education journey. Our goal is to ensure that every learner’s potential is recognized and nurtured for success in senior school and beyond.”
