Kenya:Teachers directed to report to school on September 28

By Samuel Ouma

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has ordered primary and secondary school teachers to report to their respective schools next week on Monday ahead of school re-opening.

Teachers will be required to set everything in order before learning resumes next month as recommended by the Education Response Committee chaired by Sara Ruto of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).

The Sara-led committee proposed October 19, 2020, as the opening date and wants standard eight and form four candidates to sit their national exams in April 2021.

The team also recommended a change in the school calendar from January to November cycle to June-May.

Learning institutions in the country were temporarily closed in March following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Initials plans were that primary and secondary schools were to reopen in January.

Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Prof. George Magoha had declared the 2020 academic calendar lost and ordered students and pupils to repeat classes when schools reopen next year.

However, the team of education stakeholders wants this year’s calendar to reorganize such as the second term begins in October and ends in November, and the third term starts in January and ends in March.

In a bid to manage the spread of the novel virus in schools, the committee came up with two proposals. The first is to have all learners report on October 19 and the government to monitor progress and health concerns.

The second proposal is phased reopening which will see Standard Seven, Standard Eight, Form four and form three students and Grade Four pupils to report back on October 19. Then learners in Pre-Primary One and Two and Grades One to Three, and those in Standard Five and Six to report on November 2 as well as students in Form One and Two.

Meanwhile, Prof. Magoha said that the recommendations will be tabled before a larger committee and thereafter the official dates will be issued.

“It is not for me to give the date for the re-opening, I will table this report before a larger committee for a deliberation on the actual date for the resumption of schooling,” Prof. Magoha said.