Magoha: This is Why I Closed Schools Early
Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha has publicly apologised to parents, on behalf of government, over the sudden early closure of schools.
This comes after an uproar from disgruntled parents who said the decision by the Ministry of Education caught them unprepared filled the social media.
Speaking in Uasin Gishu County, Magoha said that many schools will be used as polling centres and the government does not want the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to give excuses for not preparing in good time for the August 9 polls.
“I know many parents were hurt by the abrupt closure of schools, and on behalf of the government I apologise for that action,” he said.
“We were forced to close schools to enable IEBC to use our classes in readiness for Tuesday polls,” the CS said.
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Parents have faulted the Education ministry over the abrupt closure of schools.
The National Parents Association claimed that parents were caught unawares by the directive from the ministry.
“Most of us learnt about it through social media. Many parents had to quickly ensure their children got back home,” said chairperson Nicholas Maiyo.
“As we speak, three quarters of schools have closed. We have a few students still in schools due to challenges and we urge principals to get in touch with parents,” he told the Nation in Eldoret.
Addressing the uproar, Prof Magoha said the move was meant to avert excuses from IEBC in terms of preparedness ahead of Tuesday polls.
“Our move was meant to stop IEBC from complaining that we did not give them enough time to prepare for elections,” he said at Umoja Secondary School in Uasin Gishu County during commissioning of Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) classrooms.
Some parents have also suggested changes to the Constitution to push future elections to December, when all schools are closed, to avoid interference with learning.
