Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha on Tuesday, May 5, revealed that the ministry would cut back on holidays to allow for the completion of the syllabus by primary school pupils and high school students.
The decision follows a rallying call by Kenyan National Union of Teachers (Knut), Kenya Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), and Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kessha) for the ministry to find a solution for the 2020 academic calendar.
"Honourable chair, the ministry has put in place the following measures to ensure the completion of the school syllabus/ curriculum; second term half term will be shortened by 4 days, August holiday will be shortened by two weeks, and the school days will be adjusted to have longer hours," Magoha stated.
Magoha failed to appear before the Parliamentary Ad hoc Committee on Education, however, presented a report explaining the measures in place to ensure learning is resumed.
He revealed that the ministry was in liaison with other players in the education sector to ensure that the national examinations were taken care of in case the pandemic persists.
"Hon Chair, just like in other sectors, Covid-19 situation has also adversely affected the Education sector including the normal learning calendar. Learning institutions had to close early for the first term holiday.
"In addition, the opening of the second term has been rescheduled by one month effective from May 4, 2020, as the Ministry continues to monitor the Covid-19 situation as it consults with other relevant Government agencies before undertaking any further mitigation measures in the sector.
"In the meantime, the calendar for administering Kenya Certificate of Primary Education and Kenya Certificate Secondary Education remains unchanged as at the date of this statement, April 27, 2020," Magoha stated.
He revealed that the Ministry would ensure that learning institutions that were used as quarantine and isolation facilities are not an impediment to learning if schools reopen.
"Hon chair, a total of 460 educational institutions have been designated as isolation/quarantine centres, most of which are secondary schools. Discussions with the Ministry of Health resolved that schools will not be used as first line institutions. It is expected that the Ministry of Health will fumigate the building before handing them over to the Ministry before learning commences," Magoha stated.
This announcement by the CS comes hours after Kuppet asked that he call off national exams, arguing that students are not psychologically prepared to sit for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
Kuppet Secretary General Akello Misori on Monday, May 4, 2020, stated that debates on when schools should open or when to sit for exams should thus be avoided, and efforts channelled to the fight against Covid-19.
He, however, contradicted, Kuppet Chairperson Omboko Milemba's proposal to have students resume school so as to avoid suspending the year's national examinations
With the first term of the primary, and secondary schools education calendar having come to an end in April, the ministry was tasked to salvage time to ensure the year does not go to waste, despite the country grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Milemba while speaking to Kenyans.co.ke on April 24, 2020, demanded that Magoha issue a plan for schools to resume, as to avoid suspending the 2020 KCSE and KCPE examinations.
He revealed that the union contemplated postponing the exams, however, detailed a plan with which the calendar would be recovered.
"The truth is that online learning guided by parents is neither here nor there. Rule out that. We cannot count that as curriculum completion and syllabus coverage, so all the students need to go back to school and finish the syllabus," Milemba stated.
"We lost the month of March, and we are likely to lose the month of May, April as a holiday. That means that we can recover. During the month of August, we make the holiday as short as possible and we do away with half term, we will cover the month of March.
"Ordinarily, exams come slightly early in November. We use November to cover for the month of May, and then all exams, KCSE and KCSE be done in the month of December, then we shall still be in business," he detailed.
Milemba stated that as a result, the only thing postponed a little would be students joining form one in January 2021, but shall still retain the calender.
