No Term II Extension Nor August Holiday Reduction: Govt Sticks to Academic Calendar
Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has instructed schools to stick to the original Ministry-set calendars despite the recent prolonged closure due to flooding.
However, in a circular to school heads, Kipsang has mandated schools to develop strategies to recover the lost time caused by the delays in reopening.
Furthermore, the Ministry has advised schools to adjust their learning hours if the ongoing heavy rains affect the teaching and learning process.
Despite this, schools have been specifically instructed to adhere to the 6 am to 6 pm guidelines regarding school transportation.
This directive from the PS follows Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu’s acknowledgment that the government might extend the second term due to the prolonged closure.
Follow Teachers Updates Us On Facebook
Reducing the August holiday
Machogu had mentioned the possibility of reducing the August holiday by a few days to ensure the completion of the syllabus, especially for Form Four students.
“It has been two weeks (of extended school closure). We will look at it, particularly for those in Form Four, and see how we can recover by extending the term for a few days,” Machogu stated.
However, it has been disclosed that the recent changes were made following requests from education stakeholders.
Instead, schools have been urged to create lesson recovery plans to guarantee that the curriculum is covered satisfactorily within the academic year.
Kipsang informed the Standard over the phone that an earlier intention to change term dates by shortening the August holiday had been scrapped due to appeals from school heads.
Willie Kuria, chairman of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association, stated on Friday that each school will decide on its own how to recoup the lost time.
He stated that remedial lessons, as well as late and morning programs, would be considered for recovery.
They argued that altering the holiday dates for the second term would disrupt events like the music festival scheduled for August.
In Our Other News: Nairobi’s Top Best Kindergarten Schools
Schools are scheduled to reopen on Monday, May 13, after the enforced closure due to flooding. Students will undergo six weeks of learning before the mid-term break from June 20 to June 23.
After the break, learners will resume the second half of the second term on August 5.
The August holiday is expected to span three weeks. Subsequently, schools nationwide will commence the third term on Monday, August 26.
No Term II Extension Nor August Holiday Reduction: Govt Sticks to Academic Calendar
Follow Teachers Updates on Facebook, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram. Get in touch with our editors at hello@teachersupdates.news.
