The Ministry of Education has directed schools to suspend any exams during the second term that could lead to student unrest.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok issued the directive while speaking at the Kenya High School Prize Giving Day on Thursday, June 4.
“We are working very hard to ensure that there are no examinations that are going to bring tensions to our schools. We have asked all principals to stop any type of examinations in this term that are going to cause anger, disappoint or disenfranchise any student,” he said.
The directive follows the tragic fire at Utumishi Girls High School, where reports indicate that a decision by the school administration to move examinations forward from June 16 to June 2 may have sparked discontent among some Form Four students, prompting retaliatory action.
Bitok said the Ministry is taking proactive steps to prevent situations that could anger students and cause further unrest.
“We are doing that because we want to reduce tensions in our schools. Why do you want to force these learners to sit for examinations if they are not ready. They should not,” he added.
School closures have increased over the past week following the fire that killed 16 and injured 79, as students across the country have disrupted operations to air grievances.
One such incident is at Alliance High School in Kiambu, where students were sent home after a fire broke out in a dormitory mattress store, forcing the school to suspend operations.
Several other schools have also been closed indefinitely amid unrest and disruptions, including Lang’ata High School and Nakuru Girls High School on June 4; Loreto Girls High School in Limuru on June 3; and Naivasha Girls High School and Tarakwa High School in Bomet County on June 2.
In addition, St. Joseph’s Seminary Senior School in Nakuru and St. Paul Githakwa Secondary School in Nyeri were also closed following separate incidents that disrupted learning on May 30.
Despite the turmoil, Bitok maintained that there will be normal operations in schools before the official midterm break scheduled for June 24 to 28, noting that learning is continuing uninterrupted in more than 99 per cent of the country’s over 9,500 schools.
Meanwhile, the Ministry has stepped up efforts to ensure schools meet safety standards by deploying 1,000 Quality Assurance Officers on a nationwide 10-day inspection exercise to evaluate safety, learning conditions and overall student welfare.
“The findings will inform the Ministry’s next interventions as we continue working to ensure that our schools remain safe, stable and conducive environments for learning. The safety and well being of our learners remains non-negotiable,” Bitok said.