Schools reopen to a busy, compressed and uncertain second term after a two-week extension of the April holidays due to heavy rains.
There is uncertainty over the recovery of time lost, a financial crunch and potential crisis, and the fate of thousands of learners in nearly 2,000 schools that may not reopen due to the adverse effects of the heavy rains that claimed 257 lives.
The Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) have also not released any details on students or teachers who might have been casualties of the heavy rains.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Interior, in a statement, said that schools extensively affected by the rains will remain closed as others reopen.
"Some of the schools that have been adversely affected by the heavy rains and flooding will have their opening delayed as the National and county multiagency teams ensure that repairs are done to create a safe environment for students to resume learning," the statement reads.
However, the Ministry of Education has yet to provide guidelines on how these students will be accommodated.
And a section of stakeholders now raises concerns over possible learning gaps that the partial reopening could lead to.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) secretary general Collins Oyuu warned that students in areas where schools will remain closed will be disadvantaged.
"Take for example a candidate who remains home as others report back, they will be at a disadvantage when they take their KCSE examination because they will have lost some time unless measures are put to address this," Oyuu said.
But that’s not all, teachers and learners reporting to school face the daunting task of a compressed term as they report back to school for the busiest term in the school calendar.
Traditionally, it also is the longest term in the school calendar, but not this time.
The Ministry of Education had initially set the term dates to stretch over 14 weeks from April 29 to August 12.
However, the term has been shortened from the previous 14 weeks to 12 weeks.
This is after the ministry indicated that they would not adjust the term dates set to run between April 29 and August 12.
With the time lost, it means the activities packed for the term will have to be covered in a shortened period.
And the pressure now sits on teachers who will have to cover the syllabus in the shrunk term.
However, the reopening also faces threats by a section of intern teachers to down their tools over claims of unfair working conditions.
The interns demand the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) the employer to have their contracts reviewed and awarded new contracts under permanent and pensionable terms.
However, the fate of the conflict is now in court.
Last week, the Basic Education Principal Secretary asked schools and teachers to devise ways of recovering the lost time.
On Friday, Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chairman Willie Kuria said each school will independently choose how to recover the time lost.
Kuria said remedial lessons, and evening and morning classes will be options for the recovery.
Another crisis is brewing between school managers and the government following reports that no capitation money will be disbursed or sent to schools when they reopen for the second term.
Headteachers yesterday said running the institutions without capitation will frustrate their efforts to receive learners.
This comes after Machogu said that schools should utilise monies sent to the institutions just before the end of the first term.
