Education CS George Magoha has said the 2020 school calendar has been considered lost due to the novel coronavirus. Speaking from the KICD buildings the CS flanked by other education stakeholders has said there will be no KCPE and KCSE examinations this year which has been pushed to next year.
The CS said that national examinations will not take place this year as the Covid-19 pandemic has rendered the school calendar lost. The decision will affect all children including those being offered international curriculum.
As such, CS Magoha said, Standard Eight and Form Four students who were to sit the exams this year will do so in 2021.
The CS also said all learners in grade 1 to 4, Standard 5 to 7 and Form One to Three will remain in the current classes in 2021. There will also be two Form One classes in 2021 according to Magoha.
Click here to download full CS Magoha speech on school reopening
He said it will not be practical and safe to re-open schools because the peak period for the virus infections is just starting. This means schools will continue to remain closed till next year.
“Schools will re-open next year that is when KCPE and KCSE examinations will be done,” Magoha had said.
Present were union officials Knut led by secretary Mr Wilson Sossion, Kuppet led by Mr Akello Misori, TSC represented by Dr Nancy Macharia and Kenya Parents Association represented by Nicholas Maiyo.
The stakeholders who were in solidary with the education CS announcement today said it is important to consider the health of both teachers and learners before reopening.
“It will be practically impossible to think about opening soon cause of social distancing” Said Akello Misori for Kuppet.
Primary and secondary schools will resume next year in January with a phased reopening of colleges and universities.
The minister also announced that all basic learning institutions will re-open in January next year, as that is when the virus curve is expected to have flattened.
Technical and vocational education and training (Tvet) institutions as well as colleges will re-open in September but only with strict adherence to the Ministry of Health’s guidelines for containing the virus.
“All institutions allowed to reopen must comply with Covid19 regulations or risk closure’ Said Magoha.