All Teachers Training Colleges, TVETs and Universities will reopen for face-to-face sessions in January 2021. According to Education Cabinet secretary Prof. George Magoha , this is among resolutions arrived at following a meeting today of Education ministry with stakeholders to deliberate on the current preparedness for phased reopening of the institutions.
Universities have further been urged to continue offering virtual learning, examinations and virtual graduations but in strict adherence to quality measures set by the Commission for University Education and the University Standards and Guidelines.
Also agreed upon is that a robust multi-sectoral approach will be employed to step up preparedness for re-opening in compliance with MOH protocols on mitigating the COVID-19 effects. He said the final decision on the reopening of the TTC’s, TVETs and universities will be dependent
on the guidance from the Ministry of Health.
Prof. said , ” The current situation regarding the COVID-19 situation has kept worsening, with an average number of new positive cases daily averaging 600 in the last one week. As of yesterday, the number of reported positive cases stood at 19,125, some of them affecting staff of universities and colleges. The University of Nairobi has already lost four members of
staff as a result of COVID-19.”
Meanwhile, Universities have been instructed to continue offering virtual learning, examinations and virtual graduations but in strict adherence to quality measures set by the Commission for University Education
and the University Standards and Guidelines. The Education CS said priority should be given to final year students to ensure they can graduate.
“So far, Dedan Kimathi University and Riara University have
held virtual graduations. Egerton University is also set to hold a virtual graduation on 31st July, 2020 while the University of Nairobi is set to hold a virtual graduation on 25th September, 2020., and I will personally attend physically to encourage this by other universities”, Prof. Magoha added.
A virtual orientation of first year students has been successfully undertaken in KCA University in May, 2020 and Dedan Kimathi University in June-July, 2020.
Prof. Magoha urged all institutions to continue making arrangements for re-opening based on the provided guidelines and checklists. However, authorization to re-open for face to face teaching, learning and research, will be based on further guidance from Ministry of Health based on
the dynamics of preparedness.