Kenya Slates Reopening Of Schools For January 2021

Kenya has slated the reopening of schools in the country till January 2021.

Kenya’s Education Cabinet Secretary, George Magoha made the announcement on Tuesday.

He stated that that 2020’s school calendar “Should be considered lost” owning to the coronavirus pandemic that saw all learning institutions throughout the country close in mid-March.

“In consultation with Ministry of Health we have agreed schools to reopen when daily Covid-19 cases reduce consistently for 14 days. Social and physical distancing is the most critical factor in ensuring safety of learners,” the CS said in his press statment.

“Inter-county movement of students will cause severe challenges with high incidents of infections. We are happy to inform Kenyans that the president accepted the recommendations.”

Kenya follows an 8-4-4 system and students currently at the tail end of their studies are required to seat for their national exams in order to progress to from primary education into secondary and high school into university.

KNUT secretary general Wilson Sossion said that they have engaged in the process saying that they support Magoha in every decision.

The directive also gave instructions for reopening of University and Collage institutions. He said the universities will only reopen only when they meet the requirements of government guidelines.

“Members of the senate and faculty must agree how they are going to do a phased reopening,” he said.

The institutions will undergo an inspection to decide if they have met the required regulations. “Institutions that fails to adhere to the COVID-19 government guidelines will risk closure,” CS Magoha cautioned.