Ruto Snubs Machogu on School Reopening After Cabinet Approval Chaired by Him
The severe rains that have been hammering the country are causing new interruptions in schools.
The rains that have taken over 210 lives, with some missing and many others evacuated, have caused chaos on the school calendar.
This comes after President William Ruto overturned a Cabinet decision made just 24 hours ago in a meeting he chaired.
Ruto presided over a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, which approved the reopening of schools on May 6.
On Friday morning, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu issued a thorough plan for reopening and directed Regional Directors of Education to carry it out.
Machogu urged parents, guardians, and teachers to ensure that learners are safe in schools despite the torrential rain.
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He also requested that school heads make measures to compensate for lost time and provide alternate accommodations for those sheltering in schools.
Hours later, Ruto postponed the reopening indefinitely. He directed the Ministry of Education to delay the reopening of all schools for the second term until further notice.
Subsequently, the CS issued another circular, nullifying the earlier communication. According to the CS, President Ruto’s directive was influenced by the ongoing heavy rains and flooding in certain parts of the country.
Therefore, all relevant authorities were instructed to ensure the implementation of the aforementioned directive within their respective jurisdictions.
Earlier this week, a similar mistake was observed. Machogu announced a week-long delay in reopening, despite Basic Education PS Belio Kipsang’s earlier assurance that the second term will continue as planned.
Machogu’s directive caught many parents and teachers off guard. Some parents claimed to have woken up early and sent their children to schools, claiming that Machogu’s warning arrived late in the day.
Because the Ministry of Education had not released an official notice regarding changes in opening dates, school heads in certain districts demanded that learners report as previously scheduled.
On Monday, Dr Kipsang issued a circular instructing school administrators not to send home all pupils who had reported to school.
The postponement of learning brings back memories of 2020, when Covid 19 caused an almost two-year disruption in the school calendar.
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Notably, this year’s KCSE applicants were the same group whose KCPE exams were impacted by the Covid-19 disturbances.
After a year, the learners took their national tests. And this year, with an indefinite stop on reopening, there are mounting concerns over their destiny, with calls for proper planning.
More time is expected to be lost after Ruto ordered that the reopening of schools for the second term be postponed until further notice.
Ruto Snubs Machogu on School Reopening After Cabinet Approval Chaired by Him
