SCHOOL CALENDAR TO BE ADJUSTED AGAIN AFTER ELECTIONS

Education officials are planning to adjust the school timetable because of the August 9 General-Election.

The academic calendar released by the Ministry of Education for the current academic year, schools are expected to proceed for the second term mid-term on August 11, two days after the August 9 election date, meaning the schools will be in session on voting day.

However, ministry officials said yesterday there was a need to adjust the calendar to ensure that learners take their half term break before the election date to allow for the institutions to be used as polling centers.

The officials explained that a precedent had been set in the 2017 repeat presidential election on October 26, which saw all schools closed to allow the institutions to be used as polling centres on the voting day.

“During the repeat presidential election, the Ministry made a slight adjustment to the school calendar to accommodate the exercise. It will be the same case this year since the elections will be held in the middle of the term so there is no cause for alarm,” said the officials.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has previously warned against the destruction of school property during the voting exercise.

In the 2017 August 8 election, schools were closed earlier than scheduled to allow IEBC to use the institutions as polling or tallying centres.

A  revised school programme for the current year indicates that Second Term commences on July 11 and runs for 10 weeks until September 16 while the third term will start on September 26 and run up to November 25.