Secondary schools will proceed for mid-term break on November 19 and report back on November 23 after a wave of unrest hit various institutions with extremes boiling over to fires.
The circular by Basic Education PS Julius Jwan and dated November 1 reads, “It has been decided that the half term break will commence on Friday, 19th November, 2021. The students will report back on Tuesday 23rd November, 2021.”
Schools reopened for second term on September 11 and it was scheduled to run non-stop for 11 weeks with no mid-term break.
With the disruption occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic, the school calendar had been reworked so that the period lost during the long closure last year could be recouped.
However, the term has been characterised by unease with various institutions staging walk outs and in extreme cases arson attacks over various issues.
On Monday, Kenya Secondary School Heads Association attributed the increased incidents to long closure of schools to contain Covid-19 between March 2019 and January 2020.
In the latest fire incident, recordings show some students at Buruburu Girls jumping from the first and second floors of a blazing dormitory.
The Buruburu incident occurred simultaneously with a similar case reported at Chavakali Boys in Vihiga county.
The incidents came just three days after fire gutted a section of a dormitory at Kanjuri High School in Nyeri during the morning preps.
In September, some 40 students were hospitalised after inhaling smoke after a school fire at Ofafa Jericho High.
Other institutions that have experienced fires include Sigalame Boys High School, Moi Girls Marsabit, Kabarak High School and Gendia Secondary School.
Most arson cases have occurred in boarding schools.
Edited by CM
