Education CS George Magoha has suspended plans to reopen schools on September 1, 2020, as the numbers of Coronavirus cases spiked.
He announced that all basic learning institutions would be reopened in January 2021.
KCPE and KCSE exams slated for 2020 have also been cancelled.
“Based on the rising trend, we agreed to shelve classes. The country will be severely affected as all other children will lose the year. It shall be impossible to achieve social distancing.
“In consultation with the Ministry of Health, stakeholders agreed that reducing physical numbers in classes will affect learning, schools should only resume if cases reduce consistently for 14 days and social and physical distancing is the most critical factor in ensuring the safety of learners, handwashing and using masks and monitoring temperature will be crucial too,” Magoha stated.
Magoha clarified that the decision meant that there shall be no KCPE and KCSE in 2020. They shall sit exams later in 2021.
School calendar for this year will be considered lost due to Covid-19.
The decision will affect all children including those being offered international curriculum.
The CS added that the Ministry would explore online learning.
TVETS and colleges will reopen in September but with strict adherence to Covid-19 regulations. The Ministry of Education will also release a calendar for 2021at a later date.
A parents representative at the meeting added that parents had wished to have the education calendar in 2020 postponed. He assured parents that they would sit down with the ministry to discuss how the school fees issue would be addressed.
On Monday, July 6, while announcing the reopening of the country, President Uhuru Kenyatta directed Education CS George Magoha to notify the public on the resumption of the 2020 Academic Calendar for Basic Education and Tertiary Institutions.
The CS had earlier on stipulated several directives to curb the spread of the virus in schools with the focus on teachers, infrastructure and the number of students per class.
Magoha detailed that teachers would be tested for Covid-19 ahead of the resumption of studies.
The teachers were asked to report to their schools two weeks before the reopening date. The maximum number of learners in a classroom would be between 15 and 20 with each learner provided with two masks.
All schools would also be equipped with thermo guns to aid in determining the temperatures of all individuals who will be seeking access to learning institutions.
