Kenyans are confused when the resumption of schools is postponed.
When hundreds of Primary and Secondary school students arrived at their various campuses on Monday to resume classes, they discovered that the government had rescheduled the start of the second term, which caused confusion.
The instruction was made late at night by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, and instead of opening on April 29, 2024, they will now reopen on May 6.
However, students taken off guard by the directive were observed leaving Mombasa, Kilifi, and Kwale counties’ bus stages and returning home after attending class that morning.
Mombasa students return home after the postponed reopening of classrooms.
When the Education Ministry announced at the last minute that the school’s reopening date had been changed, a large number of students were left stranded at several bus stops in the North Rift.
After Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu’s unexpected midnight announcement, matatu drivers in several towns hurriedly intervened to assist the students in returning home.
While non-local teachers who had already arrived at their institutions of learning were confused by the last-minute change by the Education CS, some schools throughout the region swiftly made arrangements to accommodate distant learners who had already arrived by Monday morning, with some having arrived by Sunday evening.
Parents enraged
The Nation team discovered stranded students from various schools, including Bunyore Girls, St. Arnessens Burnt Forest, Singore Girls, and St. Joseph Boys Kitale, in Eldoret Town, Uasin Gishu county.
Parents were not hiding their indignation at the abrupt turn of events.
“Everything must cease being politicized by the government. How can you expect all parents to comply when you make such a severe news in the middle of the night? A enraged Joseph Kiprono, who had already dropped his son off to his Nairobi school, questioned in Eldoret town, “What was so hard for the government to announce on time after the weatherman’s report?” He accused the Ministry of Education of being incompetent.
Noting that Mr. Machogu’s performance in the education docket was concerning, he requested the administration to assess his performance.
Every Form Four student at Paul Boit Boys High School in Eldoret had already reported. According to Principal Shem Busolo, the administration decided against sending the pupils back home in order to spare the parents from needless expenses.
“While we wait for the remaining students to report as instructed by the Ministry, we will keep them in school to continue with revision,” he stated.
“These boys belong to us as parents, and we shall look after them during their school days till other people come home. Since all employees and subordinates have already reported, their parents don’t need to worry because their kids are in good hands,” Mr. Busolo stated.
Students were observed lost at the Makutano bus stop in West Pokot County, searching for their way home in a vehicle.
At Chewoyet High School, 50 more pupils arrived by Monday at 9 a.m., after 35 had arrived by Sunday and spent the night there.
“When we opened the morning circular, we were taken aback. Principal Stephen Akuto expressed remorse, saying, “This is an inconvenience to my parents.”
Additionally, fifty parents—among them a parent from Makueni county who went on Sunday and spent the night in Kapenguria town—had already arrived at the school for a meeting that had been organized for them on the first day of classes.
He arrived around 7 a.m. We requested coworkers and neighbors to pick up the breakfast and lunch that we had already prepared for the students and their parents. This is a significant loss,” he lamented.
For the upcoming week, the school will have to accommodate students from distant locations.
“Those who are nearby have been told to return home.” People who go long distances, such as those from Mombasa and Makueni, will stay in the teacher’s quarters. The principal stated that it is expensive for them to return home.
Confusion was in the air at the Kitale Bus Park in nearby Trans Nzoia County as students who had traveled over night to continue their studies in local schools became disoriented upon discovering the new instruction from the Ministry of Education.
Unreturned calls
Job Kimani, a student at St. Joseph’s Boys Kitale, paid Sh1,700 for his overnight transportation from Nairobi to Kitale, only to learn that the opening day had been rescheduled.
“I’m attempting to get in touch with my parents to make plans for my comeback,” the student, whose family resides in Nairobi, said.
Another kid was irate because she was unable to get through to her parents via phone.
Amina Faheem discovered the alterations to the school reopening while traveling to Kapsara Secondary in Cherangany.
She said, “I haven’t been able to reach my parents, who don’t answer calls from unknown numbers, so I’m not sure what to do next.”
Two Mombasa students who had come early on Monday were discovered by Nation.Africa at Mary Immaculate Primary, a Kitale day and boarding school.
Headteacher Leonard Bett stated that owing to financial constraints, numerous schools have been inconvenienced by the sudden shift. The school will have to house the children for a week until classes resume the following week.
We are compelled to rearrange our schedule. It will be a loss for us because we have prepared food for the kids even today,” he told Nation.Africa.
“We might be forced to host learners arriving today from far away,” he said.
Eliud Wafula, chairman of the Trans Nzoia County Kuppet, and George Wanjala, the Knut County Secretary of KNUT, stated that the Ministry of Education ought to have limited date adjustments to places impacted by flooding.
Mr. Wafula said, “It’s a waste of time and resources to have the learners stay at home because no school in this county has been affected by the flooding.”
In order to save money on hotel accommodations, Mr. Meshack Wangwe, a teacher at Kapua Primary School in Turkana Central Sub County, is currently staying with a friend in Turkana County.
“I arrived early and made reservations for two nights of accomodation before Eldoret to Lodwar public transportation hiked fares. “I will have to move to my friend’s house after the postponement is announced,” Mr. Wangwe stated.
After floods at night closed the Kitale-Kapenguria-Lodwar-Juba roadway at the Lous trading center, more educators and students from all over the region were left stranded.
At the time of going to press, three teachers from PAG Lodwar Secondary School reported they were stuck at the Lous trading center after learning of the news while driving from Kitale to Lodwar, which is located in West Pokot County, just before Makutano town.
Principal Patrick Lokwayen of Lodwar Boys High School stated that the news was shared with the parents via WhatsApp.
“All parents have been contacted via WhatsApp in compliance with the government’s requirement to reopen the school after a week. The school is empty,” Mr. Lokwayen stated.
The 105 instructors at Kapsabet Boys High School in Nandi County who had already reported in advance of the anticipated second term reopening will stay on the job until the revised date next week.
Because they are from different parts of the nation, instructors have arrived earlier, according to Chief Principal Kipchumba Maiyo.
According to Mr. Maiyo, in compliance with the latest instruction from the Ministry of Education, they will begin preparing for the reopening of schools next week after completing a two-day session on mental health awareness.
Give up on learning.
According to Mr. Maiyo, since the school was supposed to commence on Thursday, May 2, no pupils had shown up.
“Some of the teachers come from different parts of the country and had to arrive earlier, just like our students,” Mr. Maiyo remarked.
“They will not return home until they request a leave of absence because they are already enrolled in school. They will now concentrate on getting ready, the principal stated.
Eliud Kosgei, a father from Eldoret, stated that schools where instructors and pupils had already reported should stop teaching because it would disadvantage their friends who would fall behind in the curriculum.
“We shouldn’t penalize students who haven’t reported yet in the interest of equity. Allow the professors to begin instruction only once every student has shown up for class,”
Embrace humility Otieno, a Mombasa County student, arrived in Makutano town on Sunday and was in a grave situation.
“Unfortunately, due to the government’s incompetence, I must return to Mombasa. “I am uncertain about how I will return home,” he remarked.
It is incredibly unjust to us parents as well. This reduces the amount of study time that Form Four students like us have since we have our national exams in five months.
To prevent such situations, the government should be proactive and communicate. It is appropriate to hold the Ministry of Education responsible. Our parents find it difficult to force us to attend school because we come from lowly homes,” he bemoaned.
Parent from Kapenguria Vincent Mageni blamed the administration for the uncertainty.
“The government disregarded the weather advisory despite the flooding.” Why do you give out notifications at odd hours? He stated
Richard Chepchomei, a dad from Chemoe in Baringo County, claimed the decision was poorly thought out.
A few students arrived at school on Sunday. Remote parents cannot obtain this kind of information from radios or cell phones. He declared, “This government ought to be serious.”
Many students discovered the new reopening date while they were already en route to their schools in the morning at the Kabarnet bus terminal.
“We had to let them know, and regrettably, they had to return home. The fact that parents would need to find more funds to cover their bus fare the following week will be a burden. According to inhabitant of Kabarnet Town Mike Kipsang, such announcements ought to be published ahead of time to prevent such problems.
The Nation was informed by a parent, Messaid Omar, whose child attends school in Kilifi County, that she was informed of the postponement after her child had already arrived.
I live and work in Mombasa, and I had to send my child off to school early. Later, I found out that the government had delayed the date for reopening. I have to send someone to Kilifi to pick up my child from school since I am unable to return to Kilifi due to job obligations,” Ms. Omar stated.
Continue your education
Some students at Senior Chief Mwangeka Girls High School in Wundanyi, Taita Taveta County, had already shown up for class by Sunday night.
Those who have reported will stay in school, according to school administrator Beatrice Mwashi, who stated that the Ministry of Education had urged them to do so until the official opening day next week.
But when the Nation visited Mombasa’s Mama Ngina Girls High School and Shimo La Tewa Girls High School, everything was peaceful. According to Mwanamisi Omar, the Mama Ngina Chief Principal, the school will resume on Tuesday.
“We told our parents about the postponement as soon as we learned about it. Next week, classes will resume,” she stated.
Two pupils from Kiambu and Kirinyaga were forced to return home after attending Shimo La Tewa Boys High School.
Speaking under anonymity, the principal of a boarding school in Kilifi stated that despite the difficult financial conditions, they would not send kids back.
The principal stated, “It would be unjust for us to send them back when parents are having financial difficulties.”
Day schools
Head teachers also sent students home from day schools. For example, on Monday morning, at around eight in the morning, students were dismissed from Mbaraki Girls Secondary School.
Teachers in other schools, like Ribe Girls, used WhatsApp groups to let parents know about the postponement.
Some elementary schools, however, made the decision to retain their students for the day because the majority of them had been dropped off by working parents.
“We’ve been instructed to carry out the day’s schedule as scheduled until dusk. The teacher at a Mombasa private primary school informed Nation that the institution would close tomorrow.
Kenyans are confused when the resumption of schools is postponed.
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