Education Ministry has outlawed plans by a section of private schools to have learners in Grade 4 report back to school ahead of reopening.
Schools will be reopening on May 10 for third term of 2020 the last stretch in the road to recover the time lost following the shutdown of learning institutions in March 2020.
The term will run up to July 16. Learners expected to report to their schools are those in PP1 and PP2, Grade 1 – 3, Standard 5 – 7 and Form 1 to Form 3.
Some private schools had directed parents to prepare their Grade 4 learners for reopening.
However, Education CS George Magoha has put those seeking such adjustment on notice saying no Grade 4 learner should report back to school.
He was speaking at Starehe Boys Centre during the close of the KCSE marking exercise that began three weeks ago.
This is because learners in Grade 4 were part of the first batch of learners who reopened in the first batch of the phased resumption of learning after the Covid-19 closure in October 2020.
“I wish to emphasise that Grade 4 learners will remain at home until July 26, 2021 when schools will open for the First Term of the 2021 Academic Calendar,” the CS said.
On Friday, a joint statement by private school representatives Mutheu Kasanga and Jane Mwangi noted that the institutions will adhere to the directive.
"As private schools, both national and international curriculum we were involved in the setting of the academic calendar and we will abide by it.
"We are grateful for the national immunisation program targeting frontline workers who include teachers. We have encouraged our people to take the vaccine and our numbers are encouraging,” the statement read.
Equally, the institutions pledged to adhere to all Covid-19 health protocols as directed by the ministries of education and health.
Although initial communication by the Education ministry had indicated that the examination would be released before the reopening of schools on May 10, this now seems unattainable.
The examination now proceeds to the last phase before the release that will include compilation of the student results.
“Over the next couple of days, we will move to the next level of processing the outputs of the just concluded marking exercise with the hope that we will release the KCSE Examination results as soon as possible,” Magoha said.
-Edited by SKanyara
