Education

CS Machogu defends postponing school reopening amid public outcry

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu addresses a conference on quality, inclusive education at the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) in Nairobi on March 28, 2024. (Photo: Justine Ondieki)

By Lucy Mumbi | Monday, April 29, 2024

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu says that the decision to postpone the reopening of schools to Monday, May 6, 2024, was taken as a precaution to safeguard students in light of the ongoing heavy rains.

Machogu was responding to critics who condemned him for announcing the changes at 1 am today as students prepared to leave for school.

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Despite the announcement stirring mixed reactions across the country, Machogu insisted that he based his decision on reports indicating the extent of damage to infrastructure, including roads and schools, in several counties.

The minister directed regional directors of education to collect data on the preparedness of schools last week, which Machogu said was compiled on Saturday and Sunday, prompting him to release the announcement late at night.

“We’re talking about life, which is paramount. Leave alone the inconvenience of the postponement that people are talking about. If schools open in the current situation and something terrible happens, they’ll again blame Machogu. I chose to save lives,” Machogu defended himself in an exclusive interview with Nation Africa.

He further assured Kenyans that the ministry was assessing the situation and would advise parents, teachers, and students accordingly.

Students of Moi Avenue School returning home after reopening of schools was postponed on April 29, 2024 (Photo: Justine Ondieki)

“We’re monitoring the situation very closely,” he said.

The late announcement, made around 1 a.m. on Monday, April 29, 2024, caught many by surprise, including parents and students who had already begun travelling to their respective schools.

Disappointment and frustration were evident at bus stations across the country, where parents and students found themselves stranded without prior warning.

“I had woken up early at 5 am and was already in town by 5:45 am when I heard about the postponement. The ministry could have informed us earlier, which would have helped us better prepare and avoid unnecessary expenses like hiked fares. For now, we are just stranded," Florence, a parent, complained.

She lamented paying up to Sh1,000 as fare for her child from Nairobi to Kamatungu Boarding Primary School in Tharaka, Eastern Province.

At Moi Avenue Primary School in Nairobi, some students who were unaware of the postponement showed up only to be sent back home.

A teacher at the school criticised the ministry’s handling of the situation, pointing out that there was ample time to assess the situation and communicate effectively, rather than making abrupt decisions that impact the lives and safety of students.

“We knew about the postponement early in the morning, but some parents, who hadn’t heard about it, brought their children only to take them back home. This is despicable. The ministry had a whole month to figure out the gravity of the situation before gambling with students' lives,” she said.

The Ministry has now extended the reopening dates to May 6, 2024.