University students to stay longer at home as Education Ministry pushes back face-to-face classes

College and university students will have to stay longer at home after the Ministry of Education resolved to have face-to-face classes resume in January 2021, and not from September this year as had earlier been planned.

Education minister Prof. George Magoha says the pushing back of the tertiary institutions’ academic calendar has been arrived at after closely evaluating the COVID-19 infections pattern in Kenya.

“A survey of all Teacher Training Colleges, universities and TVET institutions has shown that few of them have put in place necessary measures to comply with the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 protocols that can guarantee safety of staff and learners once they reopen,” said Magoha in his statement Thursday.

Revealing that a decision has been reached to have all TVETs, TTCs and universities reopen for face-to-face classes in January 2021, the minister said: “universities should continue offering virtual learning, examinations and virtual graduations but in strict adherence and observance to quality measures set by the Commission for University Education.”

Prof. Magoha further stated that authorisation to re-open for face-to-face teaching, learning and research, will be based on further guidance from the Ministry of Health.

The CS said as a way of ensuring no learner is affected by lack of resources to participate in online learning, “the Ministry is looking into ways of supporting continued online learning for university students by supporting HELB to facilitate them for the acquisition of online learning facilities and resources”.