School heads told to prioritise career guidance for students

Secondary school heads have been called upon to properly guide their students in making right career choices based on their talents in order to improve employability in the job market.

University and Research Principal Secretary Simon Nabukwesi noted as regrettable that most students prefer to be admitted at the University of Nairobi and leaving 77 other institutions of higher learning.

“It is difficult to place everybody at the University of Nairobi. I want to encourage students to choose careers - not universities,” he said on Thursday while presiding over the opening of exam materials at Kisumu Central container.

“If you want to do medicine for example, you can choose to do it at UoN, Moi University, Chuka University or Kisii University where cut off points vary from one university to the other and increase your chances of being selected for the same,” he said.

He pointed out that most students fail to secure their preferred courses since they opt to pick all their courses from the same institution instead of staggering their selection.

The PS noted that the numerous complaints from parents and students after selection by Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) board as a big concern to the Ministry of Education.

“We get overwhelmed by requests to have inter-university and inter-faculty transfers, which can waste a whole academic year and interfere with academic progress of learners,” he said.

Mr Nabukwesi called on principals to do awareness and sensitization to the candidates in advance to streamline the process of course selection.

“What we have found out that many students are only interested in the exams. They do not look ahead to think about the careers they want to pursue.

“Eventually, they fail to make their career choices and get placed where they don’t want to be, do courses they don’t like and end up with jobs they don’t appreciate,” he said.

As a way of developing a productive human resource and attaining job satisfaction, the PS said they have discussed with KUCCPS to place students where they choose so as to realize their maximum potential.

He on the other hand called on school heads and exam managers to inculcate the principle of honesty and maintain the credibility and integrity of the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.

“We should not support any form of shortcut but ensure our children get what they merit,” he said.