This archive report was first published on 7 July 2020.
Kenya's education system has been thrown into chaos as the Covid-19 pandemic forces the cancellation of national examinations for the 2020 calendar year. Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) George Magoha made the announcement on Tuesday, citing the disruption of the school calendar as the reason for the cancellation.
According to CS Magoha, Standard Eight and Form Four students who were set to sit for the exams this year will now do so in 2021. This decision has been made in consultation with stakeholders, who have shelved the initial proposal to reopen schools in September for these candidates.
However, all basic learning institutions are expected to reopen in January next year, when the virus curve is expected to have flattened. As a result, all students will be forced to repeat their classes. The decision will be reviewed if the daily count of Covid-19 cases reduces within 14 days.
Technical and vocational education and training (Tvet) institutions as well as colleges will reopen in September, but only with strict adherence to the Ministry of Health's guidelines for containing the virus. Universities will be allowed to reopen if they meet all the requirements set by the Ministry of Health and are inspected.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's decision to lift the cessation of movement order in counties considered coronavirus hotspots has been met with concern, as the daily Covid-19 statistics for the last few days have been alarming. The highest single-day count so far is 389 cases, recorded on July 4. As of July 6, Kenya had recorded a total of 8,067 confirmed cases of the virus, 164 deaths, and 2,414 recoveries.
President Kenyatta has also allowed the phased re-opening of places of worship, but with strict rules. Only 100 people will be allowed to attend services that will last only one hour. Local air travel will resume on July 15, while international travel will resume on August 1.
