Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha has apologized to parents following the abrupt closure of schools.
Prof. Magoha had on Monday ordered that all basic learning institutions be closed down to facilitate seamless preparations for the August 9 general election.
The announcement however did not go down well with some of the parents, who hid out at the CS for handling the education matters casually.
Schools had been scheduled to break for mid-term later this week, but CS Magoha’s directive meant parents were to make emergency preparations to pick up their children at school.
And realizing the pain he had inflicted on the parents, the CS finally apologized.
“I know people are very unhappy that schools were closed abruptly…let me apologize on behalf of the government,” Magoha said during the commissioning of Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) classrooms at Umoja Secondary School in Eldoret on Wednesday, August 3, 2022.
He however defended the decision which he said was following a request from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
“IEBC must be given whatever they want for a free and fair election. But for the small pain I have caused I apologize,” Prof. Magoha said.
“It is important for IEBC to get access to schools so please try and understand that I love the children and would be the last to put their lives at risk,” he added.
According to a gazette notice by the IEBC, at least 250 schools will be used as polling stations across the country for Tuesday’s general election.
Junior secondary schools
Several other tertiary institutions and universities will also be used as Constituency and County Tallying centres.
But even as the country prepares for a general election, the Education CS says they are working on ensuring CBC classrooms that will host junior secondary schools are ready on time.
The first batch of Junior Secondary school learners will be joining starting January 2023, and the government is pushing to have all the classrooms ready early enough.
While at the Umoja Secondary School, CS Magoha said so far half over half of the expected 3,500 CBC classrooms have been completed.
“We are marching on. Everybody is doing his work. As IEBC are preparing for an election, we are also preparing for our children. We’re past 50 per cent for 3,500 classrooms that were left,” noted Prof. Magoha.
