Morning, Evening Preps Banned in Kenya
Ezekiel Machogu, the Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) in Kenya, has implemented a ban on early morning and evening classes for all students.
The move comes after the CS expressed concern about teachers overburdening students, leaving them with little time to rest.
Machogu has warned schools against requiring students to attend classes before dawn or leaving school after dusk.
He stated that classes should start at 8:00 AM and end at 3:45 PM, citing instances of students waking up at 4:00 AM to prepare for school and walking the streets before dawn to attend remedial classes.
The CS has threatened to take action against schools that continue to ferry students home as late as 10:00 PM.
In response, the Kenya Primary Heads Association (KEPSHA) has called on the Ministry of Education to address the shortage of teachers in public primary schools by training and employing more teachers.
KEPSHA stated that the current teacher-pupil ratio of 1:50 in public schools makes it challenging to complete the syllabus within the stipulated time.
The association thanked the Ministry of Education for providing teaching materials but stressed the need for more teachers to be employed to adhere to the released school calendar.
The ban on early morning and evening classes is just one of several changes introduced by CS Machogu in the education sector.
In January 2023, Machogu warned principals against sending Junior Secondary School students home over fee arrears and outlined guidelines for school uniforms.
He also announced that JSS exams would be formative and summative, offered as School-Based Assessments (SBA) supervised by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
Morning, Evening Preps Banned in Kenya
