Schools may be forced to extend their opening dates for a week due to a probable clash between their calendar and the upcoming population census.
Schools are set to resume learning for the third term on August 27.
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) has requested the Education ministry to alter its calendar so that census is conducted
KNBS has written to Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha asking him to consider changing the opening date from August 27 to September 2. However, Prof Magoha had not replied to the letter by August 2.
“We are in close consultation with the Ministry of Education on how best the exercise should be conducted, to ensure everyone is captured,” Mr Zachary Mwangi, the director-general of KNBS, said, without giving further details.
Census is set to take place on the night of August 24 which happens to be the same weekend most learners and teachers will be travelling back to their respective schools for their third term. The entire process will take one week.
If KNBS request is granted and the opening date is extended, the changes will result to either extending the third term by a week to recover the lost time or cut the term short by one week so that the Education ministry's programmes including national examinations do not get affected.