Schools set to reopen officially in January 2021.
On Monday, July 6th, 2020, His Excellency the President Uhuru Kenyatta directed the
Ministry of Education to jointly, with all the stakeholders in the sector, notify the public
on the resumption of learning for Basic Education and Tertiary Institutions by today.
Following the directive, all the stakeholders who had participated in earlier consultations
on the reopening of learning institutions have today held another meeting. So as to discuss the
feedback from the President to their recommendations.
In summary:
Education CS Magoha speaking at KICD Nairobi laid out the following directives;
Primary and secondary schools will resume in January with a phased reopening of tertiary institutions.
Institutions will undergo a thorough inspection to decide if they have met the required regulations.
The CS said that all students will remain in their current classes as this year’s school calendar has been declared null and void.
“With children crowding, it will be impossible to think of opening schools,” he said.
Proposal on schools…
Stakeholders have shelved an initial proposal to reopen basic education learning institutions in September for Standard Eight and Form Four
candidate classes. Because of the following reasons:
There will be two form one cohorts for the academic year 2021.
Apparently, there will is no KCPE and KCSE exams this year.
There will be a necessity to employ more teachers to handle both cohorts.
Parents have expressed strong reservations about sending their children to school. Because of the rise in positive COVID 19 cases.
Inter-county movement of students in boarding schools will pose a challenge.
Especially for those traveling from Nairobi, Mombasa, and other counties with a high
incidence of infection. And this will contribute to a spike in the spread of infections.
And to ensure learners are engaged, the Ministry of Education will enhance remote learning
(online, distance and e-learning) and explore innovative approaches to promote equity
Institutions must comply…
However, teacher training colleges and TVET institutions will be allowed to reopen from September 2020 subject to strict adherence to the Ministry of Health COVID-19 protocols.
As a result, the Ministry of Education will issue a comprehensive circular on the reopening dates. And the Kenya National Examinations Council will issue revised examination timetables.
“All institutions allowed to reopen must comply with COVID-19 regulations or risk closure.” The CS concluded.
Photo credits: Mercy Mumo
By Wanjiru Mbaru