2020/2021 TVETs academic calendar, KASNEB and KNEC exam time tables

 The ministry of education has provided fresh guidelines on how Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutions (TIVET) will be reopened. In the latest communique, the ministry has at the same time given an update on the 2020 Kenya Accountants and Secretaries National Examinations Board (KASNEB) and the Kenya National Examinations Council, knec, examinations will be done.

Following the declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic and the Presidential directive by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya, learning was suspended with effect from 20t^h March, 2020 in all TVET institutions as one of the measures to control the spread of the corona virus.

To facilitate reopening of all TVET institutions, the State Department for Vocational and Technical Training has developed a framework to guide the process. The framework proposes that TVET institutions be reopened in a phased manner with effect from 2^nd September, 2020.

Based on the guiding principles, reopening of all TVET institutions will be informed by modelling projections by the Ministry of Health, MoH, on when the peak of infections is anticipated.  MoH projects that the peak of infections will be in August/September, and fewer cases will be reported after September 2020.

MoH advice that institutions should only reopen when the daily confirmed percentage of positive COVID-19 cases have been consistently declining for at least 14 days.

Preparation

In order to meet the minimum requirements for reopening of TVET institutions, the Vocational Training Team (VTT) will require two months from 1^St July, 2020 to institute a safe training environment that meets all the protocols that will prevent transmission of the COVID-19.

 Preparedness

TVET institutions will be required to provide the minimum requirements for prevention of COVID-19 transmissions which include:

1. clean running water and soap for hand washing;
2. sanitisers;
3. adequate space for social distancing;
4. masks for learners, trainers and non-teaching staff. The government will facilitate TVET institutions to produce masks which will be purchased by trainees and staff at subsidized rates
5. thermal guns for monitoring body temperature.

All Public TVET institutions have been directed to manufacture own masks and sale them to trainees at subsidized rates; whose cost is met by parents and guardians. Private TVET institutions’ parents and guardians will incur full expenses of procuring masks for trainees.

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Social Distancing Protocol

All institutions will be required to institute social distancing measures. The social distancing protocol of maintaining a distance of at least 1 metre between trainees implies that classes will be resized to ensure adherence. This will be achieved by:

1. Shift arrangement of classes,
2. Staggered tuition arrangement so that each academic year uses facilities on specific days,
3. Use blended learning approaches i.e. face to face and remote learning and
4. VTT has categorized TVET institutions into three categories for ease of approval of reopening institutional plan:

• New TVCs: 143 Institutions’ that are new and are being operationalised hence are not yet congested. This category will admit new trainees in September 2020.
• Moderate Enrolled TVCs: 23 institutions that have enrollment of below 3000 trainees that require moderate measures. This category will admit new trainees in September 2020
• Highly Enrolled TVCs and National Polytechnics: 22 institutions that have enrollment of above 3000 trainees and thus require detailed measures. This category will require VTT approval of the institutional academic plan and VTT assessment of the same.

Laboratories, dining halls, dormitories for boarding institutions and other shared facilities may also face the same constraints.  Consequently, the VTT has developed modalities that will facilitate reopening for all TVET institutions. This may require use of tents, dining halls and other facilities for training.

 New Term

When TVET institutions reopen, trainees will begin their Term 3 of the training calendar on 1s^t September 2020, since they had already covered the curriculum of Term 2 at the time of closure on 15^th March, 2020.

Rescheduling of Examinations

TVET exams have been rescheduled to accommodate those that were postponed.

The September 2020 reopening of TVET institutions will be preceded by a two-week exam session for KNEC March 2020 series that was suspended; to run from 17t^h to 28t^hAugust 2020.

The July 2020 KNEC candidates will sit for Examinations in December 2020 after covering the syllabus for the normal 12 weeks. Other examining bodies will fit their examination schedule within the indicated time-frame.

The KNEC exam calendar for next year will be revised so that exams are offered in July 2021 and November 2021.

KASNEB May 2020 series have been rescheduled to December 2020.

KASNEB May 2020 series will now be done on September 21, 2020; immediately after TVET Exams and the KASNEB November 2020 series have been pushed to January 2021. The May 2021 series will move to June/July 2021 and the November 2021 remains as scheduled

TVET institutions offering international curricula will reopen according to the institution calendar of the curriculum they are implementing.  However, they will be required to obtain approval from the Principal Secretary (PS) in charge of VTT prior to reopening.

Trainers Sensitization on COVID-19

Trainers will be re-tooled on new approaches in pedagogy and management of trainees amidst COVID-19 pandemic.

Recruitment of 4000 Intern Trainers

The VTT and the Public Service Commission, PSC, will need to recruit an additional 4,000 intern trainers for effective curriculum implementation given the COVID-19 protocols and procedures put in place.

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