Ruto Halts School Reopenings Indefinitely
President William Ruto has instructed the Ministry of Education to delay the reopening of all schools indefinitely. He issued this command during his national address on Friday.
“The Ministry of Education is instructed to delay the reopening of all schools in the country for the second term until further notice,” stated the President.
The order comes just three days before schools were originally set to reopen on May 6. Initially, schools were to reopen on April 29 but were postponed by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu due to heavy rains on Monday morning.
Machogu mentioned that some schools have been severely impacted by ongoing floods and sending students and staff back would pose a risk to their safety.
“The impact of the rains on some schools is so serious that reopening them would be reckless without ensuring proper safety measures for students and staff,” Machogu stated.
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As a result, the Ministry of Education decided to delay the reopening of all primary and secondary schools by one week to Monday, May 6, 2024.
In a circular dated May 2, to regional, county, and subcounty education directors, Machogu provided guidelines and measures to prepare for the May 6 reopening, while stating that heavily affected schools would remain closed.
He emphasized the need for schools to devise plans to catch up on lost time when classes resume.
Some schools face issues such as unsafe infrastructure, particularly concerning sanitation facilities, which may cause health risks and potential waterborne disease outbreaks. Schools are directed not to use life-threatening buildings.
The CS instructed all school Boards of Management to submit reports detailing damages and mitigation plans to the County Education Boards by May 8, 2024. The County Education Boards must then submit comprehensive reports to the Cabinet Secretary by May 10.
Ruto Halts School Reopenings Indefinitely