IN SHORT: A place at a public university in Kenya requires a minimum grade of C+ in the national school-leaving exams. But soon after it was announced that only 19.7% of the 2022 exam candidates had scored C+ and above, a rumour started circulating on social media that the minimum had been raised to B. But the rumour is entirely false.
“KUCCPS has raised the University requirement from C+ to B plain,” reads a claim going viral on Facebook in late January 2023.
KUCCPS is the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service. The service selects students for admission to universities, polytechnics, technical training institutes and other accredited higher learning institutions for government sponsored programmes.
The claim appeared online just days after the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exam results were released, on 20 January 2023.
Announcing the results, education cabinet secretary Ezekiel Machogu said that out of the 881,416 candidates who sat the school-leaving exams, only 173,345 (19.7%) scored C+ and above.
C+ is usually the minimum university entry qualification for government sponsored courses. A higher minimum requirement of B would lock thousands of students out of university placement.
The claim can also be seen here, here, here, here, here, here and here. Most versions give its source as a “statement from the KUCCPS”.
But has the service raised the minimum university entry grade? We checked.
‘No student will be locked out’
We found no evidence of such a KUCCPS statement on their official social media accounts or in the mainstream media.
In fact, on 22 January local media quoted KUCCPS chief executive Dr Agnes Wahome as saying all students who scored C+ and above would have places at public universities.
“I know there are a lot of concerns about whether we have enough space for students who qualified to join universities,” she reportedly said at a conference. “No student will be locked out and there should be no cause for alarm.”
On 25 January, KUCCPS took to Facebook and Twitter to dismiss the claim as “false”.
Advisory!!
— The Placement Service (@KUCCPS_Official) January 25, 2023
Beware of false information circulating in online forums.
Information on student placement will be communicated officially through this page, the KUCCPS website and official social media pages.
⚠️Kaa chonjo!⚠️#FakeNews pic.twitter.com/ggcgNL1lkp
“Advisory!! KUCCPS wishes to advise the public to beware of false information circulating in social media forums,” it said.
“Information on the forthcoming placement of students to universities and colleges will be communicated officially through this page, mainstream media, the KUCCPS website and KUCCPS verified Twitter page."
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