The Ministry of Education is carrying out a schools’ preparedness assessment programme ahead of reopening. Ministry of education officials will be visiting individual schools to see if schools are ready for reopening amid the covid-19 pandemic.
Emabakasi East Member of parliament, Hon. Babu Owino, has come under fire for ‘teaching’ with qualifications. The Law maker who has already run a mathematics lesson for KCSE students on his Facebook account has been warned that whatever he is doing is illegal.
The warning shot was issued by the education Principal Secretary Dr. Belio Kipsang when he met with the Departmental Committee on Education on Thursday morning.
“Anybody who is offering to teach students without being qualified is undertaking an illegality, and so is anyone circulating e-learning information that is not approved by KICD..All the content of learning delivered to students must be Approved by the KICD, whether for online learning or physical learning. And every teacher must be Qualified,” said Dr. Kipsang.
The flamboyant politician is offering more lessons in coming weeks.
One of Babu Owino’s online lessons advertisement.
The Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha was however in support of schools and teachers charging parents for online services rendered.
“When it comes to charging of Online lessons offered by teachers, let them engage the parents and agree on favorable terms. I think there is nothing wrong with charging for services delivered,” the CS explained.
Brookhouse international school has been on the limelight for forcing parents to pay full fees even when much of the physical learning time has been lost due to the current closure of learning institutions to prevent further spread of Covid-19 disease.
E-learning is very new to me and you; but very necessary now.
The CS noted that the current E-learning is very new to him just like it is to everybody else but he was quick to point out that it can not be used to replace physical teaching.
“E-learning is just as new to me as it is to all of you. The gov’t has been very clear that when schools re-open, we will take it from where we left,” said the CS.
An assurance that was further emphasized by PS Kipsang.
“We can assure you that nothing we are doing now will replace the inter-personal relationships of learners and teachers, and when physical learning resumes, every child will still have an equal opportunity… We are trying to mitigate the impacts of this pandemic, and to deal with the new normal that we find ourselves in. We already have an emergency plan set up to improve the coping mechanisms.” reassured the PS.
“We are trying to mitigate the impacts of this pandemic, and to deal with the new normal that we find ourselves in. We already have an Emergency plan set up to improve the coping mechanisms,” he added.
Magoha defended the online teaching saying it was the only feasible option if going by the current crisis created by the covid-19 pandemic is anything to go by. He turned down a request by Nyamira County Women Representative who wanted to know if it is possible for the government to stop all these Online learning programmes so that all our children are equal when they resume physical learning.
“We do not advocate for teacher-learner contact even from home, since we do not what to put anyone at risk of infecting the other with COVID-19…The government at this time, will not consider stopping e-learning. Our children who are able to access the virtual learning will continue to get, despite others not being able to.
Dr. Kipsang on his part noted that the current e-learning system has its own shortcomings, though.
“This pandemic came at a time that we may have not prepared for all eventualities, that is why some of our Special Needs children might not have sufficient E-learning materials,” the PS explained.
Committee chair, Hon Melly, was concerned about ‘a majority of the Kenyan children who are not getting these online learning materials, and they are the majority.
The International Commission of Jurists, ICJ, has urged the government to provide learners with electronic gadgets and internet services.
But CS Magoha thinks otherwise.
“If you go to any secondary school, you will be shocked. It is only that we do not allow them. If we allowed them to carry phones to school, you will realise that all the secondary school students have smart phones,” stated Magoha.
On the safety of learners and teachers once learning resumes, the CS said an elaborate plan is in place.
“We will be following the Outlined COVID-19 guidelines when schools resume. And there will be a whole budget line to cater for this,” reported the CS.
It remains to be seen the plans that the Ministry has come up with ahead of the announced reopening date in June. On his part, the CS was quick to rule out any hasty decision in reopening the schools any time soon.
“It is too early to give any specific dates. In the meantime, the calendar for the national exams remains. If the situation changes, we will reopen schools… Our children are alive and safe at home. It is not only in Kenya where this pandemic is happening. If it means they will be staying at home for one year, then so be it. Don’t create a metal pipe and force me into it asking me to give you dates,” Magoha outlined.
Egerton university staff face turbulent financial times after their salaries were slashed by the varsity. The pay cut is as a result of the current covid-19 pandemic that has paralyzed learning and other key operations not only in Kenya but also world over. The pandemic that has seen unprecedented job losses is now threatening to eat into workers’ salaries.
The university’s Vice Chancellor Rose Mwonya now says the university will not be able to pay all its employees their full April and subsequent month’s salaries.
“Due to Covid-19 pandemic that has affected the whole country, Egerton University is not able to generate enough funds internally to be able to pay salaries for the month of April 2020. This might continue for a while during the pandemic period,” Says the vice chancellor in a memo.
According to the memo, workers in lower cadres will continue receiving their full salaries while those in higher job grades will face a pay cut of up to 40%. In a quick rejoinder, though, the university promises to pay the arrears in future.
“Staff in grade 1-4 will receive their full 100% net salaries as indicated in their payslips. Staff in grade 5-19 will receive 60% of their net salaries as indicated in their respective payslips. The balance of 40% will be paid as soon as funds are available,” she adds.
Public universities largely depend on funding from the national government to run their operations. Other major sources of income include students’ fees and the Higher Education Loans Board, helb.
The covid-19 pandemic has seen prolonged closure of learning institutions; since mid-March when the first case was reported in the country. The Education ministry is mulling the next course of action and has already constituted a committee of stakeholders to come up with proposals on how to safely reopen the learning institutions.
The committee dubbed ‘National Covid-19 Education Response Committee’ has already kicked off its operations and Kenyans have one week to make their submissions.
It is not only the universities that are facing challenges in paying their employees. Schools haven’t been spared either and in fact some have sent their staff on unpaid leaves. Public schools, just like universities, get most of their funding from the government and students’ fees.
Education cabinet secretary Prof. George Magoha has put the record straight concerning school fees payments. The CS was responding to concerns over plea by parents with kids in public schools to reduce school fees once schools reopen. There have also been complains by parents in private schools after they were asked to pay full fees.
While appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on education, the CS said there is no need for parents with kids in public schools.
‘The government pays fees for Tuition and Examination for all Pupils and Students in Primary and Secondary schools, so there is nothing to waive,” the CS said.
A request by the members of parliament for the ministry to extend free education fee waiver to private school was turned down by the CS.
“It is very difficult that the government still has to extend the money from the exchequer for tuition to private schools too, despite the parents’ choice to leave the free government schools for the private schools. we may need to reconsider this,” Magoha clarified.
Parents with children in an international private school in Nairobi are seeking the court’s intervention over what they term as exorbitant fee demands by private schools. It is Brookhouse school that has majorly faced the wrath of parents who saythey are being forced to meet the full cost of electricity, food, internet, printing assignments, teaching, and supervising children during the current closure as result of the covid-19 pandemic.
BrookHouse international School; one of the leading private school in the country.
The private schools have been running online tuition for learners and asking parents to meet the fee costs. But Education CS George Magoha restates that schools will remain closed till June 4 and that the Government will review the situation before advising the public of the next step regarding the start of second term.
School fees for public schools. Read details here:
SPEECH BY PROF. GEORGE A. O. MAGOHA, EGH, CABINET SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DURING THE LAUNCH OF 2020 NATIONAL EXAMINATION PERIOD AND ISSUING OF CONTAINER SECURITY PADLOCKS AT KENYA SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT ON THURSDAY 4TH FEBRUARY 2021
It is my honour and pleasure to launch the 2020 national examinations and officiate the issuing of security padlocks for the 479 containers to the Deputy County Commissioners and the Sub County Directors of Education today ahead of this year’s KCPE and KCSE.
As part of the Multi-sectoral Approach to the administration of national examinations, we are all assembled here this morning because the success or failure of this important exercise depends on all of us.
And since we have no option for failure, I urge all of us to firmly commit that we will play our roles with lots of military precision to ensure we achieve the highest levels of success in this examinations.
I wish to thank my fellow Cabinet Secretaries from the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government and Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs for the joint effort and sacrifice that has been put towards supporting the provision of credible examinations in this country over the last four years. Because of this, we managed to stamp out the bad practice of leaking national examinations.
This year is, however, much different from the previous years given that we are operating in the COVID-19 era. As a result, I am urging all those who will be involved in the examinations administration to strictly comply with the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 protocols, which we have been enforcing in schools since the resumption of studies.
No Centre Manager should turn up at any examination container to collect or drop off
examinations without wearing a face mask;
All officials who attend to services at the examination centres must use sanitizer or wash their hands before being allowed to handle examination materials.
At examination centres, all examination officials must wash their hands or sanitize before they can open examination scripts for distribution to candidates.
All examination officials must regularly use sanitiser or wash their hands before frisking candidates ahead of the start of examination sittings.
At the Ministry of Education, I have today recalled all officers who were on leave right from the Sub-County Level to Jogoo House. All of us will be on duty on all days during the examinations season to ensure everything goes on as planned.
In liaison with all Ministries and Departments, we are prepared to steer a nationwide exercise in all parts of the country to ensure smooth running of the examinations.
To this end, I urge all of us to be mindful of our candidates, some of whom are in one way or the other affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We must all take cognizant of the environment of the 2020 examinations and give hope to all candidates by assuring them that none of them will be disadvantaged in the examination process.
The Ministry is also aware of plans that some centre managers are planning to retain teachers employed by the Board of Management (BOM) in schools to aid in cheating. The examination centres with such plans have been identified and are being monitored closely.
It’s important for all of us to ensure that all head teachers and other persons steer a credible examination process in 2020.
The Ministry of Education, Ministry of ICT, Ministry of interior and Coordination of National Government have agreed on strategies to enhance the security of the 2020 national examinations. The following have been agreed upon:
Deputy County Commissioners (DCCS) and Assistant County Commissioners (ACCs), will be involved in the daily opening and closing of the containers in their respective Sub Counties.
Each container will be manned by four armed security officers on a 24/7 basis once the examinations are delivered to the Sub Counties. Additional security officers will be deployed from time to time when need arises.
Once the examination papers for the day have been issued, the container must be locked to be reopened when candidates’ answer scripts are returned after the day’s examinations.
The security in charge of the container must adhere to the rules pertaining to the opening and closing of the container.
Security officers will be used to escort the examination materials from the KNEC warehouse to the examination storage facilities in the Sub Counties. Upon arrival at the Sub Counties, the examinations will be handed over to the Sub County Directors of Education and the Deputy County Commissioners who will provide security for the examinations.
All question papers will be escorted by armed security officers each day of the examination when the centre managers will be collecting and returning the candidates’
answer scripts to the container. While at the examination centre, the security officers will ensure adequate security is provided to all the candidates and the examination materials.
The centre manager must hand over examination materials to the Supervisor once he/she arrives at the examination centre. At no time should the examination papers be in the centre manager’s office. answer scripts to the container. While at the examination centre, the security officers will ensure adequate security is provided to all the candidates and the examination materials.
The centre manager must hand over examination materials to the Supervisor once he/she arrives at the examination centre. At no time should the examination papers be in the centre manager’s office.
Upon completion of the examinations, the Council will liaise with the Sub County Directors of Education and Deputy County Commissioners on when the candidates’ answer scripts will be returned to KNEC premises under armed security escort. While overseeing examinations, the vetted and appointed supervisors and invigilators must uphold integrity in execution of their roles. They should be vigilant and deter any form of examination malpractice.
The Ministry of Education has banned supervisors and invigilators from being deployed in the same examination centres for more than two consecutive years in line with KNEC’s policy.
Let me reiterate that the Ministry will never tire in dealing with any form of examinations cheating. Let us allow candidates to apply their knowledge in the examination room.
Grade 4 Assessment
I wish to urge our colleagues from the education sector to ensure that the Grade 4 Assessment that begins next week goes on as planned. KNEC has already provided guidelines on this important assessment, which is part of the successful implementation of the Competency Based
Curriculum (CBC). The Grade 4 assessment will tae place from 8th to 18th March 2021. I urge parents to support our candidates during this period as they have always done.
Parents should not be duped into parting with money to aid any form of cheating in the KCPE and KCSE like has been the case in the past. The examinations will not be leaked whatsoever.
Our Regional Coordinators and County Directors of Education must be alert during this time of examinations and work closely with our TSC counterparts to ensure smooth running of examinations.
Once again, I wish to thank you for the support you have given to this national noble course on management of examinations.
Finally, I wish to inform the country that we have now supplied 98 per cent of the KSh1.9 Billion Economic Stimulus Programme Desks to targeted schools countrywide. We hope that centre will utilise some of these desks to ensure candidates sit their examinations in a more comfortable environment.
I wish all candidates the very best in their national examinations.
The government has been warned against any attempts to slash teachers’ salaries. Also receiving a red alert are the owners to private schools in the country. While addressing the press during the launch of a report on mitigation measures and recommendations on reopening of learning institutions, on Wednesday, knut secretary General Wilson Sossion said teachers’ salaries shall continue to remain intact.
“Salaries of teachers must be protected. No one, whether government or private entities, should use Covid-19 to hold the salaries of teachers,” Sossion said.
This comes even as uncertainty reigns supreme on the exact dates when schools are going to be reopened. This is after all learning institutions were closed in mid-March after Kenya reported the first case of Covid 19.
Most teachers employed by the schools’ boards are yet to receive a penny for the last couple of months with the schools facing a financial crunch due to the cut in cash flow.
“The last salary I received was in the month of February. I have rent arrears and a family to feed. If this condition persists, then Am seeing a situation where I may face starvation. I have tried to reach the principal. His calls went unanswered before he switched off his phone completely,” said one high school teacher working on BOM terms and who decided to remain anonymous.
Most schools, if not all, have sent their staff on unpaid leaves since they can not meet their monthly wages’ demands. Teachers employed by TSC continue to receive their full salaries as they are on indefinite leave. Read full news here; All teachers given indefinite leave by TSC over Corona Virus Disease.
Education CS Prof George Magoha speaks after receiving the interim report from the national covid-19 education response committee. Magoha asked parents to prepare to stay home with children for much longer as schools will only re-open when Kenya has contained the COVID-19 pandemic.
Things aren’t any better for private schools, that solely depend on school fees from learners to support their operations. And with schools closed parents have been up in arms against private school administrators whom they accuse of exploitation. This is after some schools directed the parents to pay school fees in full.
On Friday CS Magoha waded into the row between private schools and parents advising the latter to pay fees so as to support operations at the schools.
“It was your choice to take your children to the private schools let the parents negotiate with the teachers on the charges; otherwise the private school sector will collapse…If private schools collapse all those children will come to public schools, therefore parents talk to the schools and work around how you will keep the schools open and supporting the economy.” he observed.
The government has since been urged to classify teachers and other education workers as vulnerable so as to receive stipend as other vulnerable groups do; through the cash transfer programme. Education stakeholders who met Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Matiang’i this week also urged the government to offer soft loans to education institutions during the current covid-19 pandemic period.
With schools’ reopening not expected any time soon, teachers on BOM terms and their counterparts in private schools should brace for more tough times ahead; unless the government chips in.
The ministry of education has issued fresh guidelines on how universities shall be reopened following closure in March; to combat spread of covid 19. According to the latest guidelines, all universities are expected to resume operations in September this year. It is expected that by that time the rate of infections would have gone down.
“The ministry of education in collaboration with other government agencies is working on the modalities of reopening all institutions of learning. Modelling projections by the ministry of health on when the peak of infections is projected to be in August/ September, and therefore, it is expected that fewer cases will be reported after September 2020.” reads a circular by the Principal Secretary for State Department for University Education Amb. Simon Nabukwesi and dated June 17, 2020.
The PS has also directed universities to develop elaborate plans ahead of the reopening. In the plans, there should be measures to prevent spread of covid 19 transmissions. Top on the list of requirements is provision of clean running water and soap for hand washing and sanitizers for all students at all times.
The universities should also ensure social distancing and that everybody should be compelled to wear masks.
“Universities will ensure that all learners lecturers and non-teaching staff have masks. The universities may provide these at a subsidized rate to students and staff,” he adds.
At all entry points to the universities, the ministry has directed that there be thermo guns for monitoring body temperature of all persons entering the the institutions.
Students and staff who may not be able to travel back to the universities should be accorded necessary support; including online learning for the students.
“Universities are to ensure that contingency plans are provided for those students who might need assistance to get back to their institutions,” Nabukwesi directs.
Further, universities shall now cease being used as isolation centres so as to sanitize/ fumigate them before operations resume.
“Institutions whose facilities are still, currently, being used for isolation, quarantine or as treatment centres are supposed to liaise with ministry of health to cease any further admissions and to transfer the patients to MoH (Ministry of Health) facilities,” Says the PS.
The institutions of higher learning are expected to have a crunch program to accommodate both the continuing students and first year year students.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has been traversing the country to see preparedness of schools ahead of the September reopening date. Top in his mission is to find out if schools have adequate supply of clean water.
