Ministry Releases New Circular With Early School Closing Dates
The Ministry of Education has issued a new circular, dated October 13, 2023, specifically addressing County and Sub County Directors. This circular outlines changes in the school closing dates for the third term. Initially, schools were scheduled to close on October 27, 2023, but that date coincided with the rehearsal day for KCPE and KPSEA candidates. To accommodate this important event, the Ministry has decided to bring forward the closing date for term three.
Nursery, primary, and secondary schools will now officially conclude the term on October 25, 2024, creating space for national examination activities. In the upcoming year, there will be no KCPE examination, but instead, the KPSEA and KILEA exams will take place.
The new academic calendar for 2024 will have the first term lasting 13 weeks, the second term 14 weeks, and the third term 9 weeks. Additionally, this change in the school closing date is significant, as it affects the schedule for national examinations.
Grade Six and Standard Eight candidates will sit for their KPSEA and KCPE exams from October 30 to November 2, 2023. The KCSE exams, on the other hand, will commence on November 3 and run until November 24, 2023.
Notably, this term marks the final cohort of KCPE students under the 8-4-4 system, which is being replaced by the 2-6-3-3-3 Competency-Based Curriculum. Data from the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) reveals that approximately 2.3 million candidates are expected to participate in the KCPE and KCSE examinations this year. Of these, 1,415,315 candidates will be taking the KCPE exams, while 903,260 students will be undertaking the KCSE exams.
Also Read:Â KNEC Examiners to Undergo Vetting By NIS
The KNEC CEO, David Njengere, has confirmed the readiness of preparations for the candidates, including the 1,282,574 Grade Six learners taking the KPSEA exams. A total of 1,143 containers will be used for the 2023 KCSE, KCPE, and KPSEA exams, with distribution centers designated for each.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has vetted 223,223 teachers to serve as supervisors and invigilators for this year’s national exams. An additional 37,731 teachers have been vetted to act as examiners, and the marking process is set to commence on November 27, continuing until December 15, 2023.
Ministry Releases New Circular With Early School Closing Dates
