Inside State plan to recover ‘lost’ school days
According to this year’s school calendar, basic education facilities, such as preschools, primary schools, and secondary schools, were initially scheduled to return for the second term on April 29.
However, because of the flooding, this was rescheduled until today, May 6. The President did not go into detail on online education, which was implemented by the previous government when schools were closed for longer than seven months because to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Owing to the continuous flooding that has resulted in extensive damage and the deaths of over 200 people, the administration has decided to prolong the second and third terms of government.
The reorganization of the school calendar will not, however, have an impact on Form Four candidates’ preparation for the November start of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination.
According to this year’s school calendar, basic education facilities, such as preschools, primary schools, and secondary schools, were initially scheduled to return for the second term on April 29. However, because of the flooding, this was rescheduled until today, May 6.
Nonetheless, President William Ruto said on Friday during his national speech that all school reopenings will be postponed indefinitely.
The President did not go into detail on online education, which was implemented by the previous government when schools were closed for longer than seven months because to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Ezekiel Machogu, the cabinet secretary for education, asserted that online learning is still possible.
The CS replied, “I want to reassure parents that everything is well. The learning devices are limited.” The Form Four students are undoubtedly studying at home. Kids ought to keep studying at home.
The first term of this year’s academic calendar ran for 13 weeks, from January 8 to April 5. After a three-week break from April 6 to 28, students had a midterm break from February 29 to March 3.
The longest of the three school terms, the second term, was scheduled to begin on April 29 and last for 14 weeks, ending on August 2. Students had a midterm vacation from June 20 to June 23.
In addition, students would get a three-week break from August 5 to August 25. This is the term that has been negatively impacted by the floods that has occurred as a result of the state delaying reopening until later.
The third term, which is the shortest, will start on August 26 and last for nine weeks. The last day of it is October 25.
October 28 to October 31 are the dates for national exams, which include the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) and the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA).
This year, there won’t be any applicants for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education because the 8-4-4 system is being phased out. Form 1 is the final cohort of the KCPE. Sixth graders take the KPSEA exam before moving on to junior secondary school.
Nonetheless, the outcomes are utilized to track candidates’ progress in their learning rather than assigning them to JSS. Four subjects—mathematics, English, integrated science, and kiswahili—were used to assess learners.
Four categories are used to categorize performance levels: exceeding, meeting, approaching, and below expectations.
The school schedule will be revised, according to Mr. Machogu, after the April breaks were extended due to the threat of flooding that ruined the school’s infrastructure.
“We have not yet decided whether or not to postpone the KCSE exams. We anticipate that the rains will stop this month, and we’ll reopen the schools as soon as possible,” Mr. Machogu said.
However, the CS stated that his ministry would also prolong the term in order to make up for the time “lost” due to the floods.
In an interview with the Nation, the CS said, “Such that when they were to close for three weeks in August, we will reduce the time and also part of it will be recovered in December.”
The Ministry of Education gave head teachers and principals instructions on Monday of last week to hold on to students who had come to class.
But following President Ruto’s declaration on Friday, the ministry headed by Machogu gave school administrators the order to let the pupils go back home in safety.
The country’s current severe rains and flooding, which are impacting certain areas, are the reason behind the instruction. A circular addressed to all regional, county, and sub-county directors of education was issued by Mr. Machogu, instructing them to see to it that the aforementioned instruction is carried out in their respective jurisdictions.
He also directed all school boards of management to have meetings and report on the state of their particular schools to the county education boards.
“These reports should include all pertinent information, including a description of any mitigation strategies and any harm that inclement weather may have done to school infrastructure. By May 8th, these reports are due,” he stated.
Devastating effects of the rains on schools include learning and teaching materials being destroyed, buildings and sanitary facilities being submerged, and some infrastructure being damaged.
People who were affected by the floods are currently being housed in several schools.According to Mr. Machogu, the reports are essential for discussing the restoration of the damaged infrastructure with the National Government Constituency Development Fund.
He gave the county education boards instructions to call urgent meetings in order to evaluate the state of affairs in their districts and provide the Cabinet Secretary with thorough findings by May 10.
He continued, “The Regional Directors of Education shall use the provided templates to continuously provide updates on the status of learning institutions in their respective areas.”
In order to guarantee that the facilities are available for regular learning activities, the CS instructed all field education officers working in areas where schools are housing displaced people to coordinate with the local National Government Administration Officers to quickly identify alternative accommodations for affected individuals.
Inside State plan to recover ‘lost’ school days
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