More than half of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates who qualified for university have not applied for their respective degree courses, with 10 days remaining before the application portal closes.
The Director of Placement and Career Development at the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), John Oluoch, noted that the trend is not new, as the majority of applicants in previous years have typically waited until the final day to make their choices.
Prof Oluoch was speaking yesterday in Bobasi Constituency, Kisii County, during a sensitisation and awareness campaign organised by KUCCPS.
Various professionals from Bobasi Constituency, including renowned scholar Samuel Siringi, were also present during the open day, which saw KUCCPS and Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) officers interact with close to 1,000 candidates awaiting admission to institutions of higher learning.
Oluoch said during the sensitisation campaign that KUCCPS has already embarked on grassroots initiatives to ensure learners can access comprehensive information about the different aspects of application and enrolment into various faculties of study.
“It is very important that candidates wishing to join university receive accurate information on what is required of them and how to successfully secure their preferred career paths. Our teams are currently traversing the country to ensure this objective is achieved,” Prof Oluoch said.
Dr Siringi, who hosted the meeting, noted that the large number of learners who were yet to submit their applications risk choosing the wrong careers due to the last-minute rush to apply through the portal.
“Rushing to register for courses at the last minute has its disadvantages, as students do not get enough time to explore the various options aligned with their interests,” Siringi said.
According to Oluoch, it is not alarming that most candidates have not applied for courses with a few days remaining.
