The 359,144 candidates who scored D, D- and E grades in the 2025 KCSE examinations have been assured that missing out on direct university admission is not the end of their academic journey.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba urged the learners and their parents to explore Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and other skills-based programmes, describing them as practical and respected alternatives to traditional university education.
Candidates are eligible to join TVET colleges, vocational centres, and technical institutes, enrolling in artisan and craft courses in fields such as plumbing, masonry, electrical installation, automotive engineering, ICT, hospitality, fashion design, and agribusiness. These programmes equip students with practical, market-ready skills, preparing them for immediate employment or entrepreneurship.
The ministry highlighted that TVET pathways allow for progression, enabling learners to advance from artisan to craft, diploma, and eventually degree-level qualifications depending on performance. Government support, including funding, bursaries, and scholarships, will also be available for those pursuing vocational training.
CS Ogamba emphasized that KCSE grades do not define a student’s future, urging candidates to embrace skills training as a dignified and valuable route. With Kenya’s growing focus on a skills-driven economy, these alternative pathways offer hope, opportunity, and a route to self-reliance for thousands of learners.
