NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 17- The government now says that Universities will only be allowed to reopen in September after they meet the COVID-19 prevention measurers set by the Ministries of Education, Health and Interior.
In a statement, University Education and Research Principal Secretary Simon Nabukwesi said the Education Ministry will provide a checklist which will ascertain whether the universities have complied with those guidelines before they are given a green light to re-open.
He pointed out that the safety of the students and staff is a priority.
“We are taking the safety of our students and staff seriously and we would not want to risk their lives. Therefore, we urge all the university institutions to strictly adhere to the COVID-19 directives before they seek clearance for reopening,” he said.
He urged institutions of higher learning to embrace online studies to ensure students do not miss out on their scheduled classes.
Nabukwesi further called on the learning institutions to ensure they have adequate hand washing points for maximum hygiene preferably foot-operated, automatic sanitizer dispensers, gun thermometers, as well as equipped isolation facilities, protective gears and face masks readily available within the institutions to curb the spread of coronavirus.
He called on each of the institutions to prepare a re-admission schedule indicating the number of students who can be accommodated after complying with the Ministry’s checklist.
University of Nairobi is mulling postponing re-opening after COVID-19 cases were confirmed.
Primary and Secondary schools will remain closed until January 2021 due to fears of COVID-19 infections which has started taking toll in the country.
Education Cabinet Secretary Professor George Magoha on said it will not be practical and safe to re-open schools because the peak period for the virus infections is just starting.
He said this academic year is lost, meaning all learners will be required to repeat their current classes when schools re-open next year. He did not provide the exact dates.
Consequently, he said, national examinations for primary and secondary schools will not be done this year.
“Schools will re-open next year that is when KCPE and KCSE examinations will be done,” Magoha said.
Schools in Kenya were ordered closed on March 15 by President Uhuru Kenyatta, soon after the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in the country.
