Kenya’s Ministry of Education Cites Lack of Career Guidance as Key Issue in Student Transition to Higher Education

In Kenya, the Ministry of Education has pinpointed the absence of professional career guidance as a primary cause for the low transition rates of secondary school students to higher learning institutions. This issue is also linked to the skills gap in the country’s labor market, where a mismatch is observed between employer expectations and the qualifications of school leavers.

According to Kenya News Agency, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, addressing the 2nd National Career Guidance Development Conference at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), emphasized the problem. The conference, organized by The Career Development Association of Kenya (CDAK), convened local and international experts, stakeholders, and thought leaders to discuss the role of career guidance in enhancing lifelong transitions and youth employability amid education reforms in Kenya.

According to Kenya News Agency, Machogu highlighted that the transition rate of secondary school graduates (2022 cohort) to vocational training, technical institutions, or universities was merely 32% during the 2023/2024 placement cycle. The Economic Survey further indicates a consistent transition rate of around 30% from secondary to post-secondary education in recent years, leaving about 70% of students unaccounted for in higher education pathways.

Machogu criticized the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms for the lack of adequate career guidance structures in schools and advocated for a review of these frameworks. In a speech delivered on his behalf by Dr. Meshack Opwora, the Director – TVET in the Ministry, he expressed concern over the low transition rates to vocational and technical training, which have exacerbated youth unemployment in the country. The youth unemployment rate stands at a staggering 67%, significantly higher than the national unemployment rate of 12.7%.

Machogu stressed that professional career guidance could assist learners at every transition stage within the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), from junior to senior school, colleges, TVETs, universities, tertiary institutions, and into the workforce. However, research conducted by CDAK on career alignment revealed concerning statistics: 66% of respondents believed they were in the wrong career, only 7% felt they were in the right career, and 27% were uncertain about their career alignment.