(KDRTV) – The government has postponed the reopening of schools until January 2021, Education CS George Magoha has said.
This means that there will be no KCPE and KCSE exams in 2020. Candidates will be sitting for exams in the year 2021. The 2020 examination calendar is therefore cancelled.
“Based on this disturbing trend of COVID-19 cases rising steadily, Education stakeholders have shelved the initial proposal to reopen schools in September for Class 8 and Form 4 learners,” Magoha announced.
BREAKING: All basic institutions to be re-opened in January 2021 based on the assumption that the infection curve will have flattened or we shall have known much more about this virus. pic.twitter.com/XAVZo9jvTN
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) July 7, 2020
Magoha said plans to partially reopen schools for class eight and form iv is not viable because the current class sevens and form threes will still not be able to sit for national exams next year since they cannot cover a syllabus meant for five terms in one year.
He said that there are currently 1.2 million class eight candidates with 750,000 form 4s. If these candidates are allowed to sit for exams, there is no guarantee that the class eight kids will get accommodation in secondary schools.
“Social and physical distancing is the most important factor in the reopening of schools,” Magoha said. The CS said that has not been met at the moment.