Education CS George Magoha has officially reopen schools starting Monday 12th, October next week for grade 4 and class 8 and form 4.
Exams will start on March with class 8 sitting exams on March 22nd 2021 to 24th 2021 and form 4 class on 25th March 2021 to 16th April 2021.
However the CS remained tight lipped about reopening other classes.
The Ministry of Education announced last week that students in their final year of study in all public universities and tertiary institutions to report first before others are allowed back.
The Magoha-led team also said that the reopening will only take place once respective institutions observe strict adherence to the Covid-19 health and safety protocols.
All those entering the institutions will be required to observe high level of hygiene, wear face masks, wash their hands and adopt innovative approaches to uphold the guidelines on physical and social distancing.
President Uhuru Kenyatta during his 12th presidential address had said the ministry in consultation with the Ministry of Health would be preparing a timetable for the resumption of learning in all the institutions.
Yesterday the Kenya National Union of Teachers called on the Ministry of Education to release the reviewed schools’ calendar and plan for a full resumption of learning.
Knut secretary-general Wilson Sossion said the opening of schools was overdue.
Students need to resume learning because there has been a sustained decline in coronavirus infection rates, he said yesterday during the commemoration of World Teachers’ Day.
Teachers celebrated the day outside schools for the first time as Covid-19 closure entered the seventh month.
Already the Kenya National Exams Council (Knec) had issued a directive to institution heads to collect 2020 nominal rolls and examination materials.
“That the delivery of 2020 Business, Technical, ECDE and SNE examination materials will take place from 4th October 2020 to 9th October 2020. You are requested to inform the Deputy County Commisioners to be available for ease of receiving the materials,” Knec had said in a circular.
“That during the same time, KNEC officers will collect the 2020 KCPE and KCSE registration nominal rolls. In regard to this, you are requested to have collected them from the heads of Institutions.
That the 2019 KCPE and KCSE academic certificates will be delivered to the Counties/ Sub Counties between 4th October 2020 and 9th October 2020,” it said.
Last month CS Magoha had told teachers to start preparing to report to their schools as the ministry prepares to receive the report from a taskforce established to look at preparedness of learning institutions.
“From what I have observed, the curve is flattening and as a ministry we are in the process of relooking at our systems so that to get prepared. The report for technical and vocational institutions is ready and on Monday we will wait to receive the other reports from the taskforce and take them to another level for consideration before a concrete decision can be made,” Prof Magoha said.
“Teachers can start to prepare to report back to their schools to make them habitable before students report. And at that time, we will have phased re-opening with priority given to exam classes. In fact technical colleges are likely to re-open soon,” he said.
Immediately after the announcement TSC CEO Nancy Macharia ordered teachers back to school to make them habitable and prepare them for eventual reopening.
Teachers have been in school for a week now waiting for official reopening.