Magoha: Learners to have longer learning hours when schools reopen
Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha has said that the government is planning to shorten the second term and August holiday and adjust the school day to have longer learning hours.
This is in order to recover the learning period lost due to the Covid-19 outbreak in the country.
COMPLETION OF SYLLABUS
Prof Magoha said to ensure completion of the syllabus within the scheduled time, the second term mid-term break will be shortened by four days and the August holiday by two weeks.
The CS was responding to queries by Parliament on various measures taken by the Education Ministry in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic that has infected 535 people in the country.
“The outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya led to the closure of schools on March 15, 2020 three weeks earlier than scheduled. The ministry has further extended the reopening for the second term by one month effective from May 4, 2020. The net effect is the loss of seven weeks of school calendar,” said Prof Magoha.
The CS said that the ministry continues to monitor the Covid-19 situation as it consults with other relevant government agencies before undertaking any further mitigation measures in the sector.
NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS
“The calendar for administering KCPE and KCSE remains unchanged as at the date of this statement, April 27, 2020.”
Magoha maintained that the government had not yet made plans to postpone national examinations.
The CS said a total of 460 educational institutions across the country had been designated as quarantine centres.
Of the 460 institutions, 331 were secondary schools and the rest were tertiary learning institutions.
To ensure the said schools will not pose a health risk, if learning was to resume immediately, Magoha says the Ministry of Health will fumigate the buildings before learning commences.