Kenya Declares 2020 School Calendar ‘Null & Void’, Suspends National Exams
Kenyan Education Minister said Tuesday that a decision has been taken to suspend national examinations, and both Primary and secondary schools will resume next year in January.
Education CS George Magoha has announced that the 2020 school calendar has been declared null and void due to the coronavirus, emphasizing that all learners will remain in there current class (level) in 2021.
“In consultation with Ministry of Health we have agreed schools to reopen when daily Covid-19 cases reduce consistently for 14 days. Social and physical distancing is the most critical factor in ensuring safety of learners,” the Magoha said.
“Inter-county movement of students will cause severe challenges with high incidents of infections. We are happy to inform Kenyans that the president accepted the recommendations.”
The ministry further announced that technical and vocational education and training (Tvet) institutions as well as colleges will re-open in September but only with strict adherence to the Ministry of Health’s guidelines for containing the virus.
The announcements came a day after President Uhuru Kenyatta lifted the cessation of movement order that affected counties considered coronavirus hotspots. Kenyatta directed Magoha to notify the public on the resumption of the 2020 academic year.
As at July 6, Kenya had recorded a total of 8,067 confirmed cases of the virus, 164 deaths and 2,414 recoveries.