Govt Postpones All Schools Opening Dates For One Week. The administration has decided to reschedule the scheduled school reopening until Monday, May 6, 2024.
The cabinet secretary for education, Ezekiel Machogu, said in a statement that they have information showing some institutions have been negatively impacted by the ongoing flooding.
He explained that delaying the reopening was necessary because bringing staff and kids to the impacted institutions would endanger their lives.
The devastation caused by the rains in certain schools is so great that it would be foolish to endanger the lives of students and faculty before installing impenetrable barriers to guarantee the proper safety of all impacted school communities
The Ministry of Education decided to postpone the reopening of all elementary and secondary schools by one week, to Monday, May 6, 2024. This is in light of this assessment, Machogu added.
Reopening of schools postponed
The reopening of schools was scheduled for today, April 29.
The CS said that his Ministry will work with relevant organizations and stakeholders to decrease the adverse effects of the rains.
He added that they will also provide regular updates on all developments related to the education sector.
On Sunday, the National Parents Association recommended delaying the start of courses in the affected areas.
Govt Postpones All Schools Opening Dates For One Week
A warning of heavier rainfall in the coming days was issued by the meteorological authorities, following the confirmation of nearly 90 confirmed deaths to date, as well as numerous injuries and missing persons.
Tens of schools around the country have been affected by the rains and water, according to Eskimos Kobia, secretary general of the association.
Number of schools affected by floods
Kobia pleaded with the administration to look into the number of schools affected by the rains and think about changing the opening dates in order to ensure the safety of the students and teachers.
“We are working with the government to ensure the safety of the students as the schools reopen for the second term and we are closely monitoring the ongoing rains,” he said.
Speaking in Naivasha, Kobia said that in certain places, disaster victims had taken up camp in adjacent schools.
According to the secretary-general, the severe rains had closed down major roads, primarily in rural areas, putting the lives of the children in jeopardy.
Govt Postpones All Schools Opening Dates For One Week
“How secure will the routes taken by students to get from their houses to the educational facilities be? Not just the reopening of schools, but that is the true worry,” he said.
According to Kobia, an early assessment carried out by the organization revealed that a large number of the affected families had misplaced school supplies and uniforms.