Abstract:

Like any other country in the world, Kenya has one of her educational objectives as “Education must promote national unity” (Kadenyi 2001). In 1985 however, the Quota System mode of admission was established by an Act of Parliament. This policy demanded that every Provincial Secondary school admits 85% of the students from the geographical District in which the school is located with only 15% from outside the District but within the Province.Against this background this study’s main objective was to establish what the effects/implications if any of the Quota System mode of admission on examination performance in Provincial schools.The study population included parents, students, teachers and head-teachers of six (6) selected Provincial schools in Nyanza Province. The other participants were the District Education Officers from the Districts of the study and the Nyanza Provincial Director of Education.An interview schedule was administered to the sample respondents.The data was coded in the statistical package of social sciences where tables and bar graphs were generated. The results indicated that the examination performance had nose-dived after the introduction of the Quota System of admission.The study concluded that admission to Provincial Secondary schools during form one selection be based strictly on merit. The Quota System tends to bundle children with similar home backgrounds and experience with nothing to share.Equality of opportunity should be emphasized in Kenya in order to give all learners in all schools an opportunity to learn in schools of their choice when it comes to joining form one.Policy Makers should take care when altering already existing policies since altering even a small section of the policies as was the case in the form one admission may affect the whole fabric of education as is revealed in this study.