It’s a packed calendar as schools reopen this week

Schools reopen from tomorrow for the third term in a year fully packed with academic activities, including five national examinations.

The crash academic calendar will have four terms.

 Throughout the week, parents were busy preparing their children to return to school after a one-week break, as the majority lamented the fee burden. Some parents were required to buy new uniforms for their children, while others, especially those in private and boarding schools, are required to raise high fees.

This year, there will be five national examinations for Grade 6, Standard 8,  and Form 4 learners.

The Standard 8 and Form 4 candidates will sit their exams in March and April, while those in Standard 7 and Form3 are scheduled to transition to their final classes in July and sit the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams in November and December respectively.

The Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) pioneer class, currently at Grade 5, will also transition to Grade 6 in July and sit their first national assessment in November and December.

The normal school calendar is expected to resume in January 2023 after a two-year marathon as schools endeavour to recover the ‘lost year’ occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has assured schools and parents that all plans for reopening have been completed ahead of the new term.

The CS promised the country that although this is an election year, with a new government expected in September, the national examinations will be administered as scheduled.

Retiring from government

“We hope that by the time we are retiring from government, the examinations will be ready and whoever takes up in the new government will be able to administer them as planned,” said Prof Magoha.

Teachers Service Commission chief executive Nancy Macharia challenged headteachers to find solutions to address exam phobia which has been blamed for school unrest in the past.

“For the exams to run smoothly we need to find the solutions, and prepare the examination students well,” said Ms Macharia.

She also warned teachers against aiding exam cheating.

 “As we prepare to enter the third term, in a year when we shall have two KCPE and two KCSE examinations, let us also prepare to do our best,” said Ms Macharia.

Grade Six will be rolled out in July and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) is in its final plans to start distributing books to schools.

The Grade Six final national exams, which will account for 40 marks, have already been piloted by the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec). The other 60 marks will have been earned in the continuous assessments in Grades Three, Four and Five.

During the launch of the strategic plan, Knec chief executive David Njengere said the council is ready to deliver credible national examinations this year.

Extra charges

As the schools reopen, Prof Magoha has warned headteachers against imposing extra charges.

The CS also asked headteachers to allow children without uniforms back to school.

“Public primary schools are free and, therefore, no children should be sent home. For secondary schools, 75 per cent of the ones we have are day schools and only 25 per cent are boarding schools and therefore no Kenyan child should be out of school,” said Prof Magoha.

The CS said capitation funding for third term will be disbursed to schools by the end of this week.

He said the government has already paid national examination fees for all children and warned school heads against asking learners to pay exam fees.

He said any principal who asks for extra charges will be held responsible.

Parents have accused school heads of asking for extra fees to cater for class trips, teachers' motivation and infrastructure.

In some schools, students are required to pay Sh4,000 for class trips, Sh2,000 per student for teachers motivation and Sh5,000 for infrastructure improvement.

The Kenya National Parents Association chairman Nicholas Maiyo said parents are already burdened and should not be asked to pay extra levies. “Let the schools engage us as parents before asking for any extra charges. They should also seek authorisation from the ministry.”

The reopening comes at a time when over 50 schools whose buildings were burnt by students after unrest are yet to be renovated.

The involved schools have since directed parents to pay up to Sh5,000 for infrastructure repairs.

In some schools such as Maranda High, students will be required to undergo drug tests, a move supported by the CS.

Prof Magoha has warned students against involving themselves in criminal activities .

He asked headteachers not to readmit any student with a criminal record for the third term.

“Those engaging in homosexuality and lesbianism should also be removed from boarding schools and taken to day schools closer to their homes,” said Prof Magoha.

Mr Maiyo, the parents’ association chairman, said drug abuse, homosexuality and unrest in schools must be addressed in the new year. “As we look into supporting our teachers in crisis management, parental engagement and involvement is crucial,”he said.

Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary-General Collins Oyuu said parents should take up their responsibilities. “Parents should stop abdicating the role of raising their children. As schools reopen, parents should guide and counsel their children and instill good morals,” he said.

As schools reopen, unions have also begun a new push to have more teachers employed to curb the teacher shortage in schools.

They have also pledged to fight for increased salaries for teachers.

Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers Secretary-General Akelo Misori said the union will be reopening the discussion on the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) now that the economy is growing at a much faster rate than was feared. The unions signed a non-monetary CBA in July.

[email protected]