AfriPulse
The government has announced plans to even out the academic calendar starting next year. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the move will create equal-length school terms and help end the unrest that has affected 204 schools so far.
Under the new arrangement, each term will run for about 12 weeks, Ogamba said. He said on Wednesday, June 10, that the ministry will review and standardize the current structure, in which the first term runs for 12 weeks, the second for 14 weeks, and the third for 9 weeks.
“The first term is 12 weeks, the second term is 14 weeks, and the third term is 9 weeks. We are now going to rationalize that and have 12 weeks across the board,” CS Ogamba said.
“We are working on that, and from the next academic year, school terms will be rationalized as part of the reforms we are doing to ensure that our students do not get exhausted,” he added.
The proposal forms part of wider education-sector reforms designed to reduce learner fatigue and create a more balanced academic workload throughout the year.
The ministry’s preliminary reviews have identified several factors linked to the unrest, including leadership challenges in some institutions, examination-related anxiety, poor conditions in certain boarding facilities, alcohol and drug abuse, strenuous school routines, peer pressure, and copycat behavior.
The ministry has also recorded a growing push from students for early release from school, a trend that has appeared in some of the reported incidents.
CS Ogamba urged school administrators to act early to address emerging concerns before they turn into crises. He said heads of institutions must meet both statutory and moral responsibilities to ensure challenges are handled promptly and that learners’ safety and security remain guaranteed.
“Heads of institutions are reminded that it is their statutory and moral responsibility to ensure that any challenges in their institutions are addressed in good time and that the safety and security of our learners are guaranteed,” he said.
As part of the government’s response, schools have been instructed to urgently convene parents’ association meetings to discuss learner welfare and review conditions within their institutions. Schools are also expected to strengthen guidance and counseling services, improve grievance-handling mechanisms, and address student concerns ahead of the midterm break.
County and subcounty education officers have been directed to carry out targeted safety assessments and audits, especially in institutions considered vulnerable to unrest.
Meanwhile, the second-term midterm break will proceed as scheduled from June 24 to June 28.
Ogamba also urged parents to use the break to spend time with their children, provide guidance and support, and raise any grievances or concerns through appropriate channels with the schools.
He further announced an urgent consultative parents’ association meeting to review the state of affairs and learner welfare in their respective schools.
Source: NairobiWire.com | Read the Full Story…
