President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday hinted at a partial reopening of schools and dismissed speculation that the KCPE and KCSE exams could be cancelled.
Speaking during a live radio interview from State House, Nairobi, the President said the Education ministry will look at measures to enable candidates to sit the exams.
Since schools were closed on March 15, the future of the candidates has been a subject of debate, with divergent opinions causing anxiety.
But in the absence of more specific national guidance, Education expert Janet Muthoni says there is a need to work out the intricacies of what the school day will look like when they reopen.
“If we want to get kids back in the fall, we need to talk about what that’s going to look like today.”
Her worry is “the fear of what a disease outbreak could mean in schools if the government takes that path”.
While children who contract the virus appear less likely to become sick, scientists believe they can pass the infection along to other people, hence causing widespread infection among staff and families.
Educators have asked whether Education CS George Magoha plans to conduct an audit of the necessary materials and supply chain for cleaning, disinfecting and preventing the spread of the disease should children return to school.
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education teachers, in a memorandum to the Education ministry, demanded the school calendar rescheduled and exams postponed.
In view of the foregoing, President Kenyatta said the government will release a schedule on how learners will return to schools, especially those who are to sit the national exams.
“We need to know when it will be done and how it will be done. When that time comes, we will elaborate details of how we will make sure all this is taken care of,” he said.
The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam was scheduled to start on November 2 and end on November 3, while the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam was to start on November 4 and end on November 30.
Recovering lost time
Already, three weeks of the school calendar have been lost. Although its impact on school activities cannot be underestimated, headteachers say it is easily recoverable.
They argue that if normalcy returns and schools are opened before June, then it is possible to recover the time lost.
Schools were scheduled to reopen on May 4 but the coronavirus crisis could well eat into part of the second term.
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development requires schools to have fully covered the syllabus by the end of September.
In calling for partial reopening, sector players and educationists say it is conceivable to have some schools open fully, some partially and others to remain closed. In the proposal, headteachers want candidates to report first.
Headteachers say this will avert a transition crisis as already most secondary schools are grappling with congestion.
The Kenya Secondary School Heads Association has recommended that the government foregoes the second term midterm and reduces the August holiday to recover the time lost.
“By the end of June, schools will have lost 10 weeks. This is longer than the third term of the school calendar [nine weeks],” chairman Kahi Indimuli told the Star.
“If we get into July with schools shut, then the calendar as it is will be fatigued. With less than 28 weeks, preparing students for examinations will exert pressure on the entire system.”
The principals argue that if the spread contained to “bearable” levels, then KCPEexam candidates, Form 3 and 4 students, could go to school under stringent safety measures.
Another proposal by education advisers is to have schools in counties with no Covid-19 cases resume lessons. This will, however, depend on how the virus spreads.
