• Move comes after government postponed schools opening to September
The free acting and singing courses for primary and secondary school children have been extended for at least a further two months.
They were launched in May by the Nairobi Performing Arts Studio and the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage.
The four-week programme, which had been scheduled to run between May and end of June, will now run until mid-August, with a further extension planned to the end of the year if students don’t return to school in September.
Course organiser Stuart Nash said the extension is meant to cover the additional months the students will stay at home after the government pushed school opening month to September.
In the first phase, close to 1,000 students were taken through the lessons, with the organisers expecting more children in the second phase.
“Most of the applicants in the first intake were from Nairobi, but this time, we have already received registrations from all over Kenya, which is great,” Nash said.
Culture and Heritage CS Amina Mohamed said the course will go a long way in supporting the government’s efforts to grow talent among schoolchildren.
“The first phase of this programme witnessed great participation. We would like to encourage parents and guardians to enrol their children for this second phase,” she said.
Each level lasts one month. The second intake begins today, with registration ongoing. It will involve new students studying Level one and returning students who will start Level two.