Technical colleges have been asked to prepare for a partial resumption of studies in September with final year students given first priority due to exams. This is according to Profesor Magoha who also noted that Primary and Secondary schools may not resume studies in September as announced earlier due to the increase of coronavirus infections in Kenya. This hints that school reopening may be pushed to January when it is expected that the rate of coronavirus spread will slow down. School principals have already rejected the idea of reopening schools in September citing financial constraints that may affect their ability to set up coronavirus prevention protocols as the Government has not provided any funds for such.

If non-candidates reopen schools in January it is highly expected that they will all repeat for a full academic year as their two weeks in studies this year won't justify their progress to the next grade. With over 130,000 teachers shortage and the high number of unpaid Board of Management teachers, it is most likely that there will be a lot of challenges when schools reopen. Reliable sources at Jogoo House indicate that KCPE and KCSE candidates may resume studies between August to Sept for preparation of exams, which according to Prof Magoha may be done in April or May next year. Profesor Magoha has maintained that he's not ready to risk the lives of children.

All universities are expected to comply with the Ministry of Health rules and precautions on Covid-19 which requires every person within the institution's premises to wear face masks and maintain social distancing. The universities and colleges are also expected to use sanitiser booths, maintain good hygiene, and invite officials from the Ministry of Health to inspect their preparedness before they resume studies. The face masks and sanitizers according to the meeting between CS Magoha and the TVET officials yesterday, will be provided by the colleges and universities as indicated by Dr Julius Jwan, the TVET principal secretary.

Profesor Magoha said that 8.8 bilion will be provided by World Bank to develop schools during this period insisting that learning institutions used  asquarantine facicities must fumigated and will no longer admit new covid-19  victims.

The investigation of the February 3, 2020 stampede at Kakamega was handed over to the Director of Pubic Prosecutions (DPP) before being directed to the the magistrate for formal closure.

Atleast 15 learners from Grade Four and Five lost their lives as dozens of them sustained injuries. It was reported that some pupils fell from third floor of the three-storey building. 

46 pupils, 16 teachers and several other individuals had submitted their witness records to detectives. The incident happened at 5pm as the 540 pupils were leaving classrooms for home. 

According to the preliminary reports that were recorded shortly after the incident, some pupils claimed that a section of boys had blocked the stairways causing other pupils to step and push one another as they rushed home. 

Some claims of superstition also emerged during the probe as section of witnesses claimed that the students were scared when they witnessed a mysterious person with a head resembling that of a cow. 

Parents of affected students had pushed the Ministry of Education to probe into the incidence and make findings public as they threatened to sue the school and the Ministry of Education for not protecting their children while at school. 

When pushing for the compensation of the affected parents, the Chairperson of the Commission on Administrative Justice Florence Kajuju  and her team faulted classroom congestion and the construction of the two narrow staircases of the three-storey building. She also claimed that the staircases had no rails.

Prosecution Senior counsel said in a statement that he found that there was no evident criminal act that was committed since there no one person or persons mentioned in the incident that saw children lose their lives could be identified either by name, physical appearance or even the class they belonged to.

Education Cabinet Secretary Professor George Magoha has today on Wednesday said that each classroom will have 15 to 20 students when learning resumes. 

He further revealed that 24 million face masks will be manufactured by the Government and every learner will get a minimum of two face masks.

Speaking during his Kitui tour in which he was accompanied by the Basic Education Permanent Secretary Bilio Kipsang, the CS said that teachers will report to schools two weeks before learning resumes adding that the government will provide each school with thermo guns to check the temperatures of all individuals getting in and out of schools.

Every learning institution will have to meet the minimum requirements which is having sanitizers or hand soaps and clean running water as set by the Ministry of Education. Further objects oftenly touched such door knobs must be regularly sanitized with disinfectant. 

It's however not clear whether the Government will hire more teachers before the schools are reopened to curb the standard ratio gap of teachers to learners. The CS also did not say whether more classes will be built to ensure that each class accommodates a total number of 15 to 20 learners. 

More to Follow…

Education Cabinet Secretary Professor George Magoha on Thursday blamed the pornographic websites for ealy teenage pregnancies in the country. CS Magoha however could not agree with the figures going around social media on the high figures of impregnated young girls between January to March 2020. According to the CS, the figures are obnoxious hinting that some non governmental organizations that want to introduce sex education in the education system could be behind the cooked figures.

CS Magoha expressed his interest in interrogating the rate of the pregnancies as he doubtly questioned if the said pregnant girls went and reported to report their pregnancy considering that they are right at home. According to CS Magoha the reported figures seem definitive wondering wether some Non Governmental Organizations that were keen on pushing for introduction of sex education in theeducation system could use such exaggerated numbers to pushtheir agenda.

He said he would lobby the Cabinet and the President intervention in changing the law to ban access to  pornographic related information in the country as a measure to curb early teenage pregnancies adding that Kenya will not be the first country to do so, some countries in Africa and Asia have done so already and they have a better culture. Cabinet Secretary Magoha asked the senate to help him pass into law when the bill shall be introduced to senate saying the law should have been passed a long time ago since they operate even when children are out of schools. 

The Education CS called for tough action against culprits who sexually assault girls. He urged parents and guardians to pay attention to their children and guide their moral behavior. According to the National Health Survey report, over 150,000 underaged girls were impregnated between the month of January and April this year, Machakos County leading with 4000 reported cases of earlier pregnancies.

Machakos governor Dr Alfred Mutua has already set up a special team to interrogate and find solutions to this shocking and unacceptable trend which he compares to Sodom and Gomorrah. He urged religious leaders to introduce programmes that will educate children on sex education. According to Governo Alfred Mutua drugs abuse is the main causes of the early pregnancies among children, whom he says meet at parties, drink hard liquor and smoke Marijuana almost every single day. Dr Mutua directed his county department of Education, Youth and Social services to immediately initiate a programme on sex education, peer pressure and HIV/Aids to once schools are opened.