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Kenya: Expect Shorter August Holiday, CS Tells Learners

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6 years ago

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August holidays will be shortened by two weeks, school days adjusted to have longer hours, and second-term mid-break reduced by four days in measures the ministry hopes will mitigate the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on education.

In a document to the National Assembly Committee on Education, the Ministry of Education said the measures will ensure students recover the lost time in the school calendar and complete the syllabus.

Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) George Magoha said the pandemic has affected learning of 15 million learners in both primary and secondary schools, but maintained that the curriculum will be completed as the government has made several adjustments to the school calendar.

In a bid to compensate for lost time, the CS said second term half-term will now be shortened by four days.

The ministry has also shortened the August holiday by two weeks, an indication that the government has no plan to postpone the two national exams scheduled later this year.

The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination is to start from October 26 to October 29, while the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) will begin on November 2 and end on November 25, should the Kenya National Examination Council decide not to postpone the exams.

There has been concern about the fate of the examinations following the disruption to the school calendar, which has seen candidates lose valuable contact time with their teachers.

In addition, the ministry also said the operations of day schools will also be adjusted to have longer hours. This means that the students will be expected to be in school earlier than before and leave late.