Nairobi News

Last month, schools countrywide had a break of more than a week to accommodate the August 9, 2022, General Elections and the subsequent Supreme Court of Kenya hearings after the presidential election results were petitioned.

This added onto the strain schools and parents were already enduring after the Covid-19 pandemic interfered with education globally. In Kenya, schools were shut down for about seven months. Only a few schools effectively conducted online classes during that period.

By the time learning takes a break in Decembers, schools will have had a total of four terms this year as opposed to the three in the normal calendar. This has piled pressure on the learners and their parents to keep up with the Ministry of Education’s syllabus calendar.

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Schools closed on or around September 16 and are expected to reopen next week for third term. In most schools, there will be no midterm break, visiting day or recognition of national holidays.

Now, comedian GK Serkal has given his two cents on what outgoing Cabinet Secretary of Education Prof George Magoha, the Ministry of Education and the government have done to students and parents alike.

“The kids have already closed school; or rather they’re closing this week. They had opened last week, last week they were on holiday and this week they have closed school and they are opening next week again. If you do your calculations very properly, you will find that the children have been in school three and a half days in this term…

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“But again if you subtract the half term, end term and all those terms they put in the middle, the kids have been in school for four hours and 42 seconds this term. Ei, even if us Luos don’t complain about this economy when it comes to school fees, but come next term, we are paying school fees they way we pay for electricity tokens, are we together? Unless the government intervenes and gives us subsidies like they did for fuel, ei, Magoha!” said GK.

Here are some of the reactions to his sentiments:

“When you remove break and lunch, its 20 mins left,” said Mimilife2004.

“27 next week. Na ata last time hatujamaliza kulipa,” said Shieburu2012.

“They have never been to school at all,” said Omar Al Adhal.

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“Am even tired. Fees ya every term inalipwa after every 3 weeks,” said Shix275.

“The math is not mathing,” said George Mbugua548.

“I just hope that next year things will change…juu its hard guys,” Ruth reacted to the clip.

“Tulipe school fees and it’s the end of the year. Watataka manguo za sikukuu plus kukula,” added Hellen Wanjuku4.