Kenyan Schools to Reopen on 4th January 2021

The Education Cabinet Secretary, Professor Magoha, announced that all schools will reopen on 4th January 2021. The announcement comes after the president directed the Ministry of Education to release the school calendar for 2021. The CS made the announcement after a meeting with education sector stakeholders. Schools were closed in March this year after the Ministry of Health announced the first COVID-19 case in Kenya. Since then, only grade four, class 8, and form 4 students were allowed to resume school on 12th October, this year. The rest of the students have been at home, for nearly a year.

2021 School Calendar

The set school calendar for 2021 is as follows.

Level/Class/Form
Term 2
Holiday
Term 3

PP1 & PP2
4th January 2021 – 19th March 2021
20th March 2021 – 9th May 2021
10th May 2021 – 5th July 2021

Grade 1, 2 & 3
4th January 2021 – 19th March 2021
20th March 2021 – 9th May 2021
10th May 2021 – 5th July 2021

Class 5, 6 & 7
4th January 2021 – 19th March 2021
20th March 2021 – 9th May 2021
10th May 2021 – 5th July 2021

Form 1, 2 & 3
4th January 2021 – 19th March 2021
20th March 2021 – 9th May 2021
10th May 2021- 5th July 2021

International Schools' Opening Date

All international schools will also open on 4th January 2021, and all four-year-olds are expected to join PP1 in July 2021. As the other classes start term 2, grade four and the candidate classes, currently in school, will be starting their third term. Consequently, when all other classes enter term 3, grade 4, and those who will have finished class 8 will stay at home. The latter will enter Form One on a later date, to be announced. Universities that are yet to reopen are expected to resume in-person classes and fully reopen, for students in all years, in early to mid-January.

2021 School Calendar Announced Amidst Concerns About Possible COVID-19 Infections

The 2021 school calendar was announced amid concerns that on reopening schools, teachers could be exposed to COVID-19 infection. In this light, the Teachers Service Commission, TSC, CEO, Nancy Macharia (also pictured above), encouraged all teachers over the age of 58 to stay at home.

The TSC pledged that it had negotiated a health plan for teachers, with healthcare providers, that would cater to COVID-19 cases and related infections. The CEO also announced a USSD code that teachers could use to report suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Grade 4 pupils are expected to join grade 5 on the 26th of July and will stay at home after their third term exams i.e as other students enter term 3.

Holiday Scrapped for Class 8 Pupils

Class 8 pupils will not go for the 20th of March (seven-week) holiday, as they will be undertaking their national exams during this period. They will also stay at home after their national exams and as other students are undertaking their third term.
As a result, those who complete class 8 will be expected to join Form One at a later date, to be announced.

Form 4 students will also not go on the seven-week holiday as they will also be undertaking their national exams. Exam marking will be done between the completion of the exams, and before other students resume for the third term i.e. within the seven-week holiday. The reopening dates for 2021 could be reviewed, stay tuned for any further developments.

KCPE and KCSE Examination Dates

The set KCPE and KCSE examination dates are as follows.

National Exams
Class 8
Form 4

Rehearsal
19th March 2021
25th March 2021

Start
22nd March 2021
26th March 2021

End
24th March 2021
21st April 2021