Government orders boarding school principals not to send students home

The Ministry of Education has directed principals and head teachers whose learners are already in school to retain them and ensure their safety as floods continue to wreak havoc, killing at least 200 people and displacing more than 130,000 others.

In a statement, Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said schools whose learners have already left for the second term must remain in the educational institutions for their safety.

Dr Kipsang said learners should be kept within the school premises and not exposed to the dangers of travelling home under the current adverse weather conditions.

"Any learner who has not travelled to school should remain at home," the PS said in a circular to all county education directors and copied to Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu and Teachers Service Commission chief executive officer Nancy Macharia.

The directive comes hours after some boarding school headmasters and parents decided to send learners home instead of staying in school for the whole week before schools reopen for the second term.

The institutions were scheduled to reopen for the second term on 29 April 2024 and will now open on 6 May 2024.

Principals have also been instructed to communicate with parents and guardians about the postponement and any subsequent updates.

The PS said it was important that the community was informed of the measures being taken to protect their children.

With the postponement, the PS has also instructed heads of institutions to take measures to secure food supplies already in stock.

"Proper storage should be ensured to minimise losses during this period. Enhanced security measures should be put in place to protect school property during the postponement period. This is to prevent any potential loss or damage that may occur due to the heavy rains or other related incidents," the PS said.

Schools are also expected to provide daily updates on their preparations for reopening and flood mitigation measures.

Dr Kipsang said the updates were crucial for the Ministry of Education to monitor the situation and provide assistance where needed.

The ministry has issued a directive to field officers to compile data from all basic education institutions across the country to assist government in assessing the readiness of schools for the opening of the second term, originally scheduled for Monday, April 29, 2024.

Dr Kipsang said the reports submitted to the Ministry of Education, in conjunction with data from other relevant government agencies, have revealed that several schools in different regions of the country have been significantly affected by the ongoing heavy rains.

"The destructive impact of these rains in some of the affected schools is significant. In addition, the transport systems have also been significantly affected and may not be safe for students to travel," the PS said.

In light of this, he said, the ministry has decided to postpone the reopening of all primary and secondary schools by one week.

The new opening date for all schools has been set for Monday 6 May 2024.

"During this interim period, the ministry will work with relevant agencies and stakeholders to implement measures aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of the rains," Dr Kipsang added.

He assured Kenyans that the ministry will provide regular updates on all developments in the education sector. 

The national chairman of the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association, Mr Willy Kuria, said boarding school principals agree with the ministry.

Mr Kuria said principals were also concerned about the safety of learners.

"We also think it is dangerous for the children to travel back home, so those who are in school we will keep them. Like in my case, Form Fours, who are about 500, had already arrived at school when the directive was issued because they were supposed to open earlier than others, so we will continue to learn," said Mr Kuria.

However, he said the rest of the few learners who had already travelled to school would be kept safe.

The headmaster of Murang'a High School said those in school should stay because they had already ordered food.

"It is risky to let them go home because of the floods; they could be swept away. We agree with the state," Mr Kuria added.

The National Parents Association (NPA), Silas Obuhatsa, applauded the government for listening to the cries of many Kenyans and postponing the opening of schools when Kenya is experiencing the worst rains and floods.

Mr Obuhatsa urged parents to remain calm as the government makes plans to reopen schools.

"All children should stay at home until the scheduled opening date. Parents must take care of their children and warn them about floods and heavy rains. Managers of all boarding schools that have hosted students should ensure their safety," he added.

He urged Kenyans to understand that whatever is happening is a natural disaster and not the fault of the government.

"Blaming the government at a time like this is not the solution to the problems Kenyans are facing. Floods are natural disasters over which no one has control including our Excellency the President and his government," he added.

However, he urged President William Ruto to ensure that any future postponement of the school calendar is announced at least three days in advance to avoid inconvenience to parents and school managers.

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