Gbenro Adesina
The Education Cabinet Secretary of Kenya, Prof. George Magoha, has announced that basic education in the country will resume in January 2021 when the COVID-19 curve is expected to have flattened.
Prof. Magoha made this declaration a day after the country’s President Uhuru Kenyatta announced a phased reopening of the country.
Also, final year examinations, usually taken in October and November, have also been cancelled.
Education Minister George Magoha said students would repeat a year as schools had closed in mid-March, three months after the school calendar had begun.
Magoha said schools should only reopen when the daily percentage of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases have reduced consistently for at least 14 days – which is evidence that the country has passed the peak.
According to him, reducing physical contact in learning institutions by having fewer learners will have a great impact on reducing COVID-19 cases and fatalities associated with reopening of learning institutions.
Schools will now use this time to put in place protocols on reducing physical contact and ensuring high levels of hygiene.
However, universities and tertiary institutions will begin reopening in September this year after meeting all health requirements to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Kenya currently has over 8 000 cases the highest in the East African region.
President Uhuru Kenyatta had announced a phased reopening of the country, including the lifting of travel restrictions in the main cities of Nairobi and Mombasa.
However, he did extend a nationwide overnight curfew – from 21:00 to 04:00 local time – for a further 30 days.
