No exam retake: It's do or die for Form Three class as 8-4-4 ends

The government is exerting pressure on parents and teachers to ensure that current Form Three learners transition to tertiary institutions.”

The final cohort to sit next year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) under the ending 8-4-4 system will have no fallback, as there will be no possibility to resit the exams.

According to Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, more than one million learners are on the brink of the transition.

Ogamba describes the situation as a “delicate balancing act” involving parents, teachers and learners as they are one mistake away from derailing an entire academic journey.

“These learners are unique. They are the last in the 8-4-4 system, and once they sit their exam, there is no reverse gear. If they fail to register, if their results are cancelled, or if they score below tertiary entry points, the consequences are final,” Ogamba warned.

The pressure is heightened by strict timelines set by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).

According to the Council, candidates under the old system will only have up to two years to re-sit KCSE papers before the window permanently closes next year.

That deadline has turned Form Three into what many teachers now call a “do or die” class. KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njengere confirmed that once the transition to the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system is complete, the Council will shut the door on the old curriculum entirely.

“Learners under the 8-4-4 system have a limited opportunity to regularise their results. After that, the system will no longer exist,” Njengere said.

Beyond academic performance, one of the biggest threats facing Form Three candidates is registration or lack of it.

Both the Ministry of Education and KNEC say errors by school heads have in the past locked out innocent learners from sitting examinations or receiving valid results.

“Our officers, including those from KNEC, have been instructed to ensure that the registration process is conducted efficiently and correctly,” Ogamba said.

“In the past, including the just concluded examination cycle, there have been cases where learners suffered because heads of institutions uploaded erroneous data wrong gender details, incorrect names, or failed to register candidates altogether.” Such mistakes, Ogamba noted, unfairly disenfranchise learners and expose the government to serious legal risks.

The CS warned that from the 2026 cycle, heads of institutions found culpable of registration-related errors will face disciplinary action from the Teachers Service Commission.

“In some cases, learners were not registered at all. These errors must be averted at all costs,” he said.

Njengere revealed that 2025 was particularly challenging for KNEC. The council administered the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) for the first time to more than 1.13 million candidates, while also managing KCSE and other national assessments.

Despite over 99 per cent of centre managers successfully registering their candidates, KNEC still received 5,743 requests for late registration after portals had closed.

“In some cases, heads of institutions only declared unregistered candidates after pressure from parents and the media. These include KJSEA cases that recently surfaced on social media,” Njengere said.

He stressed that registration is the foundation of all examination planning and that errors can haunt learners for years.

“If a wrong gender is indicated from Grade 3 through Kenya Primary School Education Assessment and KJSEA, a learner can end up placed in a school of the opposite gender. ”

As anxiety rises, KNEC has also warned against examination malpractice, reminding candidates that shortcuts could permanently end their academic dreams.

School heads say the pressure on Form Three learners is unprecedented.

‘‘This is the last lap of a fading system, with no detours allowed,” Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chairman Willie Kuria said.

The Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chairman Willie Kuria echoed the call, urging parents to invest more in the last 8-4-4 cohort.

“Many students lose learning time chasing school fees, which negatively affects performance. Parents must play their part as schools do theirs. This is the last lap of a fading system, with no detours allowed,” Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chairman Willie Kuria said.

Machakos School principal Benson Manoo likened the class to a fragile bridge that requires sober minds to cross.

“This is a delicate class. If you mess with them, we will have taken them down the river. We must co-parent and support them fully, because after KCSE, there will be no reverse gear,” Manoo said.

Once KCSE registration closes for 2026, KNEC will open portals for Grade 10 learners to begin School-Based Assessments (SBAs) — a core component of the new Senior School structure.

“These assessments will contribute to the final Kenya Certificate of Basic Education results. Parents and teachers are under duty to ensure learners register, sit for assessments, and that scores are correctly uploaded,” Ogamba said.

To tighten accountability, schools will now be required to upload parents’ and guardians’ contact details, allowing the ministry to directly confirm registration and assessment status.