Uhuru orders Education Ministry to announce reopening dates of schools – VIDEO
President Kenyatta has ordered the Ministry of Education to announce the resumption of the 2020 academic year for basic and tertiary education.
The president said that the ministry will today (Monday) but no later than tomorrow (Tuesday) notify Kenyans on the resumption of the 2020 schools calendar.
SAFETY GUIDELINES
“Following consultations with stakeholders in the education sector, and cognisant of the surge in the rate of infections, the Ministry of Education shall jointly with all the stakeholders in the sector today, not later than tomorrow, notify the public on the resumption of the 2020 Academic Calendar for Basic Education and Tertiary Institutions,” President Kenyatta said on Tuesday at Harambee House.
Last month, during his speech on Madaraka Day, President Kenyatta hinted of possible gradual reopening of schools and places of worship in the near future.
He directed the Ministries of Interior and Education to work on guidelines and protocol on the gradual reopening of places of worship and schools and to finalise safety guidelines and protocols in consultation with stakeholders.
President Kenyatta said his heart was with the learners who are preparing for national examinations amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Education sector should finalise the consultations to give us an appropriate calendar for the schools to guarantee not only the safety of children but also parents. This disease is here with us and every Kenyan must take the responsibility to ensure that all is well,” he said back then.
The Head of State directed the Education Ministry to publish the new academic calendar by mid-August.
REOPENING DATE
He said the government had arrived at that decision to avert a possible spike in the number of Covid-19 infections in Kenya.
Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha in June said schools will not be opened any time soon.
“The ministry will advise the level of preparedness that will be required of all stakeholders involved in the running of schools and teacher training institutions,” he said.
Magoha had set June 4, 2020 as the tentative opening date pending the advice of the committee and the Ministry of Health.
But the umber of rising Covid-19 cases saw the CS change tune on May 28, saying he will not gamble with the lives of learners.
“A child who is at home and alive is better than one who tried to do exams and died,” Magoha said while receiving the preliminary report of the committee.
The CS urged the team to prioritise the safety of learners and teachers in making its final recommendations.