Education CS George Magoha apologises to parents for abrupt closure of schools

Education CS George Magoha has apologised to parents over the abrupt closure of primary and secondary schools on Tuesday.

CS Magoha acknowledged that the directive, issued on Monday may have inconvenienced parents who hours before, he had told to expect their children at home on Friday.

“For the small pain that I have caused you, I take full responsibility. As I take full responsibility, please try to understand that I love the children and I would be the last person to put their life or anything at risk,” the CS said.

Education Cabinet secretary Prof George Magoha Education Cabinet secretary Prof George Magoha Pulse Live Kenya

Many parents had expressed their displeasure after Magoha ordered all basic education schools to close by Tuesday, August 2.

The parents lamented that the directive had caught them by surprise, with many rushing against time to make arrangements on how their children will travel home.

Some decried that they were forced to raise fares abruptly while others lamented that schools would be forced to throw away fresh supplies.

“He (Magoha) should have closed schools on August 7, there about because our children are losing out on time,” one parent said.

“He should have given parents time until Friday to look for transport money but to make that abrupt announcement to close schools is putting pressure on parents,” another added.

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In some schools, students were preparing to sit for their exams this week before closing for the midterm break but all those plans are now in disarray.

“For the last five years, we knew that the election would be held on August 9 so it should have been factored into the school,” another parent questioned.

Education CS George Magoha at the Olympic Primary School, Kibra Pulse Live Kenya

However, other parents argued that closing school on Friday, August 6, as originally intended would have left the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission with only three days to prepare for the General Election.

During elections, many schools serve as polling and tallying stations.

Election dates have always fallen around school holidays, however, this year is unusual due to the changes in the school calendar caused by the Covid-19 epidemic, which resulted in schools missing two terms in 2020.