Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha has come out to dispel fears that the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations have been postponed.
“Up to this moment, nobody has thought of postponing the examinations (both KCPE and KCSE exams) and to the best of the government’s ability the children are getting online learning,” said Prof. Magoha on Sunday evening; during the daily press briefing session on the status of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
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The CS said his Ministry has come up with scenarios (on the next action in matters education) but which must be shared with president Uhuru Kenyatta before being made public.
‘We shall tell you the various scenarios that we have come up with and not all of them involve a doomsday situation, and since we are very optimistic, I still refuse to be guided by the fear mongers,” the CS reported.
He said the Ministry has slowed down on preparations of learning materials for grade 5 that is set to be launched next year.
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While speaking at Afya House on Sunday evening, the CS urged parents to be positive and to allow their kids access learning resources from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, KICD.
“I’m aware that parents are very apprehensive but they should be fair with themselves because government has not pronounced itself that the exam will be postponed,” he noted.
“Since the penetration of mobile phone technology is far and wide in this nation so those with smartphones can let their children access information from the KICD website,” Magoha advised.
The CS warned parents against any form of tuition studies during this period saying ‘the children must remain in their homes where they are safe’.
There has been a lot of anxiety in the education circles as the clock keeps ticking away and the situation is even complicated by the current wave of spread of the Corona virus; that has now moved to community transmission phase.
Last week, the CS stated that learners had not lost much since by the time schools were ordered closed, only two weeks were remaining to the end of the first term.
The Kenya National Examinations Council, Knec, has already postponed assessment of project based examinations until further notice.
Pressure has been mounting on the government to cancel this year’s national examinations; with the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) leading the charge.
“The Ministry of Education and the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) must postpone the national examinations immediately, said,” KUPPET Secretary-General Akelo Misori said via a presser; early this month.
For now it is a wait and see scenario as education stake holders wait anxiously for an official communique from the Ministry on the next course of action.
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