Push schools dates, exams into December

The education sector faces an uncertain future, even as the government provides a roadmap for post-Covid-19 recovery.

Second term, which was to commence this week, has been pushed to June, and that target date would only pass if the pandemic is controlled.

But given the rising infections, which hit 582 on Wednesday, that proposition remains tentative. Even so, learners, teachers and parents should not panic.

There is still time to recover and get back on course. In fact, the government should revise the calendar to extend the term dates further.

In a plan tabled to Parliament this week, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha states that second term will be extended by cutting down on midterm and August holidays.

Additionally, the school day will be extended — meaning learners will stay longer in class to cover the syllabus. This is a pretty good place to start.

However, we propose that the ministry consider postponing the national examinations by a few weeks. Specifically, Standard Eight exams, which are scheduled for late October, should be pushed to mid November.

Similarly, Form Four exams should commence in mid-November and run till mid-December. Since learners will have spent two and a half months at home by June, there is no reason to have an extended holiday at the end of the year.

The reason we suggest the pushing of the national exams date is to create more time for learners, particularly candidates, to prepare adequately.

The Covid-19 experience has been traumatising to everyone. Indeed, it has been worse for learners, who, for the first time in their lives, are forced to stay at home with no chance to play and do anything to avoid infection.

It will take them time to recover when schools reopen. Instead of teaching for long hours a day, which is counterproductive as it easily leads to mental saturation, the term dates should be extended up to December. In effect, the December holiday should be shortened.

But an equally vexed question is what learners are doing at home. On paper, the learners should be attending online lessons conducted by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).

But as we have argued before, the online classes are not accessible to all learners due to practical and logistical limitations.

Not every household has television, radio, computer or smartphone, as well as the enabling infrastructure such as electricity and Wi-Fi internet. Even where these are available, learners require supervision, which parents are not capable of.

Ultimately, the learners will have to pick up from where they left in mid-March, when schools were closed over the coronavirus, and covering the remainder of the syllabus will require time, hence the need to extend third term and push the exams to December.