School Reopening: KCSE and KCPE Dates Dilemma 

File image of KCSE students preparing for an exam
File image of KCSE students preparing for an exam
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School teachers are scrambling to take candidates through the syllabus as the assessment dates for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Examination (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) loom closer.

A random assessment exercise carried out across the schools by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) between October 20-27, raised concerns as it showed just how ill-prepared the Grade 8 and Form 4 students are for their final examinations.

The national examination body, in its report, detailed that a significant number of candidates had struggled to tackle questions derived from lower-class syllabi.

However, Education CS George Magoha on Friday, October 30, maintained that the new school calendar would not be adjusted.

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CS Education Prof George Magoha takes part in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Ksh 100million Eluid Kipchoge Library at Kapsisiywa Primary School in Nandi County on September 16, 2020
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“The national examinations timetable is not changing because we are not planning to close schools because of Covid-19. When that time comes, we shall tell you. For now, the timetable remains and children should be urged to continue preparing,” he stated.

Standard 8 candidates will sit their KCPE examinations between March 22 and March 24 while those in Form Four will sit for their KCSE examinations between March 25 and April 16.

The new school calendar has been thrown into further disarray due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In October 2020 alone, 285 Kenyans lost their lives, with 1,395 testing positive with the virus on October 31.

The rest of the students were supposed to report back to school on October 26, as per recommendations by the special council.

However, the recent surge in coronavirus cases across the country forced the Ministry to shelve its plans.

The learners in Pre-Primary 1 and 2, Grades One to Three, Standard Five and Standard Seven, and Form One to Three are now at risk of being forced to repeat classes based on the current trajectory.

The alternative is for the teachers to manage the seemingly impossible task of covering the syllabus in half the time, to get them ready for their final year examinations.

According to reports, the Ministry's special taskforce is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting in the coming week to establish the way forward.

“The big question nobody has answered is that because Covid-19 has come and is here to stay, we were at the peak two months ago, and now the second peak seems to be higher than the first one. Will there be a third peak or not? And if there will be a third peak, do we continue keeping our children at home, and the answer is definitely no, because life must continue," CS Magoha asserted during his address on October 30.

File image of students in a class
File image of students in a class
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