MM Shah Primary and Junior Secondary School Head, Mr. Michael Wycliffe Oriedi, has called on parents and education stakeholders to focus on the quality and consistency of learning outcomes rather than rankings or unofficial performance analyses of the 2025 Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA).
His remarks come in the wake of a firm warning by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) against schools releasing aggregate scores, mean marks, or any form of ranking.
The council maintains that such practices misrepresent the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) model, which seeks to measure individual learners’ mastery of skills rather than their relative position in a competition.
“The baseline is simple quality education is assured in performance pace,” said Mr. Oriedi. “If you carefully check the performance index, only quality passes will register with the predominantly and traditionally well-endowed schools, otherwise referred to as the national schools.”
He explained that even though KNEC has scrapped traditional ranking, performance trends still reveal the strength and consistency of institutions.
According to him, schools that have built solid academic systems over time will continue to stand out.
“Parents will still slither into the quality performance window,” he added, referring to the enduring public inclination toward proven centres of excellence.
KNEC has clarified that under the CBC, assessment outcomes are categorized into performance levels such as Exceeding, Meeting, Approaching, or Below Expectation, to give a more nuanced view of learners’ strengths.
The new system discourages ranking and mean scores, instead promoting individualized feedback that helps teachers and parents identify areas for growth.
However, Mr. Oriedi believes that while the system’s focus has changed, excellence remains a defining factor. He emphasized that quality performance cannot be substituted by mere compliance with the CBC model.
In his view, the best schools will continue to demonstrate strong results because they combine structured teaching, adequate facilities and disciplined learners.
“Check out the school’s population strength and academic performance and choose your school wisely,” he advised. “Other factors like the learning environment, infrastructure, and staffing are just advantages, but the real value lies in sustained academic consistency.”
Education observers agree that Kenya’s CBC reform has redefined the meaning of success, but societal expectations remain deeply tied to performance. Many parents, accustomed to the old 8-4-4 ranking tradition, still equate school quality with academic output. For this reason, experts say KNEC’s advisory and public education will be critical in helping parents interpret results correctly.
Mr. Oriedi noted that the transition phase offers an opportunity to recalibrate expectations. “We must accept that education is not just about grades but about equipping learners with the skills to think, innovate and apply knowledge,” he said.
“But that does not mean we should lower our standards. Quality must still be pursued, measured and celebrated.”
His position captures a growing sentiment among school leaders that CBC’s success depends not on abandoning performance, but on redefining it. They argue that excellence and competency can coexist, provided assessments remain authentic and schools maintain a culture of discipline and high expectations.
As parents make choices for their children’s next stage, Mr. Oriedi’s message stands as both a reassurance and a challenge: that while ranking has been phased out, quality must remain the standard.
True education, he insists, is not about chasing numbers but nurturing consistent, measurable excellence that endures beyond examinations.
