All schools must close tomorrow

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has ordered all schools to close on Tuesday, Aug. 2, to allow TBEN Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to hold the Aug. 9 general election.

In a statement dated Monday, August 1, Magoha noted that all students from all primary education institutions would take their break effective Tuesday, August 2, and resume on Thursday, August 11.

He confirmed that the communication replaced the earlier communication in which the ministry had set Saturday, August 6 as the set date for closure.

“As you all know, Kenya is due to hold its national elections on Tuesday, August 9, 2022. Therefore, after further consultation, I hereby give the Government’s decision on the immediate closure of all primary education institutions with effect from Tuesday, August 2, 2022, through Wednesday, August 10, 2022, to ensure seamless preparations for and conduct of the upcoming elections.”

“Schools and parents are advised to ensure that students from all primary education institutions take their break from Tuesday, August 2, 2022 and resume on Thursday, August 11, 2022,” Magoha said.

In issuing the first statement on school closures, Magoha noted that opening dates are subject to change in the event of a repeat of the elections.

He confirmed that the KCPE and KCSE candidates will bear the brunt of the changes if elections were to come again.

“Maybe we as stakeholders should sit down and see if it’s fair to examine the kids if they’ve lost a lot of time. I pray that doesn’t happen, these kids have suffered enough,” he noted.

The ministry has raced against time to normalize the academic calendar by January 2023. The current academic year consists of four national exams; Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), as well as Grade Three and Six examinations under the Competency-Based Curriculum (TBEN).

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