Following a series of school fires reported in various secondary schools around the country, some principals from different schools have that schools be closed.
Besides, they also want the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations scheduled to be done in March and April next year to be postponed.
According to the principals, most of the form four candidates who are set to do their KCSE examinations next year have been affected by the series of students’ unrest that has led to the closure of schools that have experienced the disturbances. The principals revealed that some candidates have begun panicking because they have not been preparing adequately for the national examinations owing to disturbances caused by the school fires.
In the view of the school heads, the school fires could put learners under a lot of pressure with some already experiencing pressure already which may affect their confidence. They implored the government to give more time for the candidates to prepare adequately before eventually sitting for the examinations at a rescheduled time.
The suggestions were aimed at the Cabinet Secretary for Education Prof George Magoha who has always maintained that there is nothing that can change the set dates for the KCSE examination.
Now it is up to the Ministry of Education to determine whether schools should be closed early for the December holidays or not. Besides, it is yet to be determined whether the series of cases of students’ unrest in schools is going to be considered in the making of decisions that could directly affect the education sector more so primary and secondary schools.
There is a threat of students creating even more chaos in schools if the pressure gets to them. This could in turn jeopardize the government’s plans for the third term.