Schools to Close for 2 Weeks: First Term Ends, Second Term Begins
As the first term of the 2023 academic calendar comes to a close, all primary and secondary schools in Kenya are set to close by the end of the week. This marks a return to the normal school calendar of three terms per year, after the last two years saw a compressed calendar of four terms due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The first term began on January 23, which was at least two weeks later than the usual time, as the government had rescheduled the school calendar in an effort to make up for the time lost during the pandemic.
The Education Cabinet Secretary, Ezekiel Machogu, acknowledged the challenges faced by parents, teachers, and learners due to the shorter school terms and expressed gratitude for their efforts in coping with the financial and teaching pressures.
Notably, the first term also saw the implementation of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), with the first class comprising over 1.2 million learners transitioning to Junior Secondary School (JSS).
The government domiciled JSS to existing primary schools, but declared that the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) would not be used for placement in Junior Schools.
After a two-week break, learners will resume for the second term on May 7, which will run for 14 weeks until August 11, with a half-term break on June 29. This will be followed by a two-week August holiday from August 12 to 27.
The third term will then commence and run for nine weeks until October 27. However, for learners who are not in examination classes, there will be a 10-week break until January 8 of the following year.
The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education and KPSEA examinations are scheduled to start on October 30, while the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations will take place from November 3 to 27.
The re-organization of the school term dates to restore the normal calendar has been aimed at alleviating the pressures faced by parents, teachers, and learners due to the shortened terms during the pandemic.
It is hoped that this return to the regular school calendar will provide a more conducive and manageable learning environment for all stakeholders in the Kenyan education system.
Schools to Close for 2 Weeks: First Term Ends, Second Term Begins