Confusing circumstances when schools break for the midterm early.
Parents were confused on Monday about the half-term break date because many of them were afraid that the anti-Finance Bill 2024 scheduled for Tuesday would interfere with their children’s travel arrangements.
Numerous students in uniform were seen making their way home on Monday at several matatu termini in Nairobi.
Many claimed that the reason they took an early break was so they could return home in safety before the protests started. This week’s protests are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday.
The Ministry of Education states that all students should take a half-term break from June 26 to June 28, 2024. A few callers wanted to know if the date had been altered, so they asked the Nation’s news department.
Ezekiel Machogu, cabinet secretary for education, told the Nation on Monday that students will take Wednesday off and return to class on Monday of the following week, as planned.
“School principals are already aware of that date, which is the official one,” Machogu stated.
The Nation has also confirmed that senior education authorities met on Sunday and discussed the half-term problem.
The Nation was informed by a source that there was no official correspondence, and school administrators were free to determine when it would be best to release students.
To shield the students from the protests, it was decided that no students would be permitted to leave the classroom on Tuesday.
Social media users sent countless posts stating that the dates had been changed. But it was impossible to verify if these messages were legitimate.
The Ministry of Education moved up the half-term dates by one week last month, citing the nation’s delayed school resumption due to severe rains in April and May.
The initial plan was for pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools to take a half-term break from June 20 to June 23, 2024, last week.
Following discussions between the Ministry of Education and school heads, Dr. Kipsang announced shortly before classes resumed that the second term of the academic calendar will not be extended.
While the ministry would “continuously monitor the progress of learning” as the term goes on, he did not entirely rule out the prospect of an extension. According to Dr. Kipsang, the lost time can be made up.
Confusing circumstances when schools break for the midterm early.
More Teachers Updates
Follow Us on Telegram.