Focus shifts to exam classes as one-week holiday begins

Schools will close from end of this week for Grade Four, Standard Eight  and Form Four classes, as focus now shifts to the examination term.

Reports indicate that senior Ministry of Education and Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) officials, have travelled to the United Kingdom to assess the progress of printing of both Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.

Coronavirus pandemic disrupted the travel to the United kingdom where the papers are printed as has been the norm, since the final touches of the examinations are usually completed by April.

Learning for the three classes resumed on October 12, amid the pandemic and despite cases reported in schools, the government insisted it would not close schools.

Already, the ministry has set the timetable for both KCPE and KCSE exams, which are to be taken between March 22 and April 21, next year. 

The candidates are to take a one-week break and resume on January 4, for their third term while the rest of the classes will be going back for second term.

Teacher training

The ministry is also gearing up for training of over 18,000 teachers in Competency Based Curriculum, which commences tomorrow.

In a letter dated December 7, Teachers Service Commission (TSC) directed Regional and TSC county directors to be keen on training modalities. 

“Due to the current situation the country is facing on the Covid-19, we are required to re-engineer the teacher training modalities observing all the Ministry of Health guidelines,” said Dr Reuben Nthamburi, who signed the letter for TSC Secretary, Dr Nancy Macharia.

From tomorrow, there will be face-to-face mode of training for regular and Special Needs Education teachers at the zonal level.