Kenyan schools are scheduled to re-open on August 11th after the closure of all schools was ordered on Tuesday, August 2nd. Kenya’s education minister made the announcement in preparation for the national elections the following week.
The half-term break was originally slated to start on Friday, but Prof. George Magoha ordered the closure to be a week earlier and the resumption of classes on August 11.
The order took schools and parents by surprise as midterm tests were in progress in some districts. Public schools serve as polling places during elections and the order was justified due to ongoing political unrest.
The pandemic that caused schools to close for more than a year has had a significant impact on the current academic year and further delays to school reopening may have further negative impacts on student performance.
