Kenyan schools to reopen in January
Tuesday November 17 2020
Grade Four pupils at Moi Avenue Primary School in Kenya's capital Nairobi on October 21, 2020. The Kenyan government had ordered phased reopening of schools in October and has now announced that in-person learning in all schools will resume in January 2021. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NMG
Kenya has officially set January 4, 2021 as a tentative date for in person learning of all schools.
Schools were closed indefinitely in March this year due to Covid-19, three months after the school calendar had begun.
However, in the new directives, all teachers aged 58 years and above have been urged to stay at home in line with the President Uhuru Kenyatta's directive to protect the vulnerable.
On Monday, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha announced that schools will be reopened after meeting requirements set by the Ministry of Health.
"I wish to assure the country that the government is determined to ensure safe reopening and learning of our schools. In doing so, we are drawing important lessons from the partial reopening that has taken place since October," Mr Magoha said.
Kenya joins Rwanda and Uganda in the East African circuit to reopen schools after a seven months break due to the pandemic.
In October, the Kenyan government had allowed phased reopening with students of Grade 4, Standard 8 (primary school finalists) and Form 4 (secondary school finalists) reporting back to school. However, some schools have since closed after some students tested positive for Covid-19.
The government-run Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development has also been providing school programmes via the radio, television and online to cover the syllabus. However, many learners do not have access to technology to enable them access the lessons.