Govt gives parents until Friday to ensure all learners return to school

The government has given parents until the end of this week to ensure all learners return to school.

Speaking at Vinuni Primary school in Matuga, Kwale County, Education Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Zack Kinuthia said starting Monday the government will mount a search for students who have not returned and action will be taken against their parents or guardians.

Kinuthia further announced that all KCSE and KCPE candidates who had registered for the national exams in private schools that have closed down permanently due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be registered afresh to sit for the exams in public schools that they have joined.

He added that candidates who have moved to public schools from private institutions due to financial constraints will sit for the exams at their respective examination centres as long as they are operating.

“If a candidate had registered in a private school that is still open and they have joined a public school, they will be allowed to study in the public school but they will go back and sit for the exam in the private school they had registered because they are still recognized as exam centers,” he said.

In Msambweni, the Sub-county Deputy County Commissioner James Koskey said so far 82% of students in the region have reported back to school.

Msambweni MP Feisal Bader called on the government to prioritize distribution of face masks to all students, noting that there are parents who are unable to afford the masks.

He spoke when he was distributing masks to various school heads at Jomo Kenyatta Primary School in Msambweni.