Teachers, Parents Call For Change of Disrupted School Calendar
Teachers and parents want Education CS George Magoha to change the school calendar after the elections disrupted learning.
Education stakeholders, as represented by their respective associations, lamented that students are likely to perform poorly in the upcoming national elections, necessitating a revision of the school calendar.
Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) chairperson Kahi Indimuli argued that school closures hampered candidates’ preparation for national exams.
The chairperson also warned against further postponements, saying the government would be forced to reschedule the national exams.
“We are in the period of preparing the candidates for the national exams and the closure affects the final preparation for the candidates,” Indimuli urged.
“If we delay further, maybe the minister may be forced to call a stakeholder meeting to discuss further whether we will be ready to sit for the exams in December 2022,” he added.
National Parents Association chairperson Nicholas Maiyo, for his part, stated that children’s prolonged stay at home will have an impact on their academic performance.
“The consequence of children staying at home longer is that their performance in exams is poor. We are asking for an equal number of days to those interfered with by the electoral period,” said Maiyo.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha announced an indefinite closure of all educational institutions on August 1 to allow the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to prepare for the elections, with the resumption date set for August 11.
The opening dates were later pushed back to Thursday, August 18.
A number of parents had raised concerns about Magoha’s recent changes to school opening and closing times.
However, the CS requested forgiveness, claiming that the decisions were made in the best interests of the students.
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“I know that people are very unhappy that the schools were closed abruptly. Let me apologise on behalf of the government,” Magoha responded after the uproar.
On Wednesday, August 17, he assured parents that in the event of a repeat election, students would remain in school rather than go home.
His remarks came a day after Raila Odinga, the presidential candidate of Azimio La Umoja, stated that he would challenge the election results in court.
Teachers, Parents Call For Change of Disrupted School Calendar
