Education CS Geroge Magoha has told off teachers asking learners to report back to school on January 4 with sanitizers.
Prof. Magoha said soap and water is sufficient and will be provided for learners.
“Teachers asking students to bring sanitizers…this is not allowed! The question of writing to parents to buy gallons of sanitizers…where are you going to take them? That must stop!” he said on Saturday.
The Education CS was speaking after he inspected desks at Kibra Secondary School in Nairobi.
He directed that all schools buy bar soap if they don’t have capacity to buy liquid soap.
Prof. Magoha however urged parents to buy cloth masks which he said is now part of school uniform.
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“Masks will be provided to schools in slums areas and there will be no corruption in mask distribution. No child will be turned away though no child will be admitted without a mask. If you can buy the surgical masks, buy them if you can afford,” the CS said.
He acknowledged that there will be challenges with regards to social distance saying: “Don’t come in Monday and say this this desk is not 1 metre apart….you will see no 1metre.”
Prof. Mahoga however noted that the government intends to start building schools in different places across the country.
On school fees, the Cabinet Secretary urged schools to ‘be human’ in how they deal with parents on such matters.
Pre Primary 1 & 2; Grade 1, 2 & 3; Class 5, 6 & 7; and Form 1, 2 and 3 learners will start their second term on January 4, 2021 and end on March 19, 2021 together with the Grade 4 and candidate classes (Class 8 and Form 4).
Although the calendar for the national exams is yet to be released, Prof. Magoha announced that non-candidate classes will proceed for a 7-week break to allow for administration, marking and grading.
Grade 4 and incoming Form 1 (Class 8 graduates) learners will stay at home as other learners complete their Term 3
All 4-year-olds will be expected to join PP1 in July 2021, while Grade 4 pupils will transition into Grade 5.