Heads of Private learning institutions have requested the government to re-open schools in October for KCPE and KCSE candidates. In the worst scenario, January 2021 has been set for school reopening
The convention was ordered by Education Cabinet Secretary Professor George Magoha at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development. (KICD) which might see 1.7 basic education candidates report back to school if the report will be embraced.
The Kenya Private Schools Association (KEPSA) is demanding that both the KCPE and KCSE examinations be conducted by December this year. Supporters of earlier re-opening tell that the candidates do not need to complete the whole remaining section of the syllabus. They assert that an exam can be customised to cover up to Form three works.
Kenya Private Schools Association (KEPSA) chair lady, suggest that the state should set exams for the period the candidates had covered. She noted that international learning institutions were able to transition all their students and pupils without exams using other criteria asking "Why do we want to make examinations a matter of life and death?"
With most headteachers supporting October reopening, they oppose premature exams and affirm that exams at the earliest can be conducted at the end of February 2021. However, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) flaws both reopening before January and early exams as premature.
KNUT secretary-general, Wilson Sossion asserts that learning institutions are not ready for resumption, even to accommodate candidates alone adding that KNUT won't support the resumption before January 2021 reason being that school closure was meant to allow for preparations to reopen learning institutions which have not been achieved yet.
Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association chairman, Kahi Indimuli, noted that learning institutions can accommodate candidates comfortably without using many resources. He asserted that many principals we're in support of candidates going back to class in October but they strongly oppose sitting of national examinations before 2021.
"There is a lot of unlearning that has taken place over the lockdown period. A lot of children have not been engaging academically and this derails what they had gained… We need to be fair and allow enough time to all candidates to prepare," Mr Kahi Indimuli noted.
According to the principals, February is the earliest ideal month for the national examination if exams are to be held. However, their biggest challenge lies in the inadequacy of preparedness to acclimate successive reopening of other classes. Me Indimuli noted that most schools are not prepared especially on how to accommodate other learners.
Nine medical colleges we're recently cleared for the resumption of on-campus learning for final-year students.
Education CS has upheld school closures until normalcy resumes for physical classrooms noting that a living child at home is better than a succumbing or dead child at school.
