Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has announced a ban on all teaching outside of the prescribed hours in order to allow students to rest and reduce mental stress.
The new regulations will affect all primary schools, secondary schools, and middle-level colleges both public and private.
The CS directive now requires classes to be held from 8 am to 3:45 pm.
During the launch of Junior Secondary School at Nairobi Primary, Machogu addressed the press and expressed his concern over the long hours that some teachers are forcing students to attend organized extra classes.
“As we resume our normal education calendar, it is clearly stipulated in the curriculum that learning begins at 8 am and ends at 3:45 pm,” Machogu stated. “We are subjecting our learners to unnecessary struggles by waking them at 4 am to attend lessons in schools by 6 am.”
Machogu directed school heads to ensure that all learning takes place within the newly implemented time frames and emphasized the importance of giving students the necessary rest.
“We don’t want to subject the kids to strain. Kids should sleep for nine hours,” he added.
The CS also warned against the trend of school buses picking up students as early as 5 am for early morning classes, and dropping them off as late as 8 pm.
“You will meet students walking on the streets very early in the morning heading to school for remedial lessons. I have seen some buses ferrying students at 10 pm as they head back home. We will not allow that,” Machogu said.
He emphasized that students should not be subjected to long hours of study at school and asked school heads to refrain from keeping students within the school premises beyond the newly implemented time frames.
“The syllabus should be covered appropriately between the stipulated time. Let us not subject pupils to unnecessary mental torture,” Machogu stated.
The new regulations aim to improve the well-being of students and reduce the burden of stress that extended hours of study can have on their mental health.
The CS warned that strict measures will be taken against schools that fail to adhere to the new school hours.
