Kenya on Tuesday declared that its school year was
considered lost because of the coronavirus pandemic, and primary and secondary
pupils would return to class next January.
The school year in the East African country runs from
January to November, when it climaxes with end-of-term exams.
But Education Minister George Magoha said in a statement
that the curve of Covid-19 infections was expected to flatten only by December.
As a result, no primary and secondary school examinations
will be held and "the 2020 school calendar year will be considered lost
due to Covid-19 restrictions", he said.
Kenya closed schools on March 15 when it had only three
confirmed cases, among a raft of measures taken that month including a
nighttime curfew to combat the spread of the virus.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday announced a "phased
reopening" of the country, with international flights resuming on August 1
and the lifting of internal travel restrictions that had cordoned off the
capital for four months. The 9pm to 4am curfew will remain in place.
However cases are surging, with over 8,000 reported
infections and 164 deaths.
"Faced with this uncertain environment, the
stakeholders have resolved to reopen all basic education learning institutions
in January 2021," said Magoha.
"This is based on the assumption that the infection
curve will have flattened by December, 2020."
The decisions "will apply to all children," the
statement said, specifying that this included schools offering international
curriculum.
Initially Kenya had planned to reopen schools in September
for those in their final years of primary and secondary school to allow them to
take their exams, however the mounting infection rate resulted in the shelving
of this plan, the statement said.
The re-opening of universities will take place on a
"case-by-case" basis, and the institutions were encouraged to
consider phased re-opening and continue holding virtual classes and graduation
ceremonies.
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