Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha on Sunday announced that the government had resolved to extend the nationwide school closure by one more month.
CS Magoha, addressing the press at Afya House during the daily Covid-19 briefings, hence intimated that the schools, which were initially set to reopen on May 4, could now resume operations in June.
The CS however added that the national examinations are however still on, saying any other decisions on the contrary will depend on the government’s ability to control the spread of the novel coronavirus.
He further stated that when the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations are finally administered, learners will have been given enough time to make up for the time lost during the coronavirus outbreak period.
“For the past four weeks or so, the children have been on normal vocation; an activity that will end on May 4. In the interest of the safety and lives of our children, the government has decided to extend school closure for one month effective from the date of opening,” he said.
“During the intervening period, there will be many interventions that will depend on how the government is able to control this disease. I want to emphasize that whenever the examination is going to be administered, every Kenyan child will have been given the opportunity to cover whatever time that is lost before the said examination is administered.”
He added: “At this point, the government has not decided to postpone both the KCPE and KCSE. Let our children enjoy the last week on holiday, and then start the one month that has been added to them.”