Government and Policy

Schools To Close Earlier, Here’s The Official Closing Date And 2024 Calendar

BY Getrude Mathayo · October 16, 2023 11:10 am

The Ministry of Education has issued a new circular dated 13^th October 2023 addressed to County and Sub County Directors that shows primary and secondary schools will close early for the third term break.

Initially, schools were scheduled to close on October 27, 2023, but that date coincided with the rehearsal day for KCPE and KPSEA candidates. After considering this important event, the Ministry of Education has pushed the term three closing date two days earlier when schools reopen next year.

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Nursery, primary, and secondary schools will now officially conclude the term on October 25, 2024, creating space for national examination activities. In the upcoming year, there will be no KCPE examination, but instead, the KPSEA and KILEA exams will take place.

According to the circular first term will have 13 weeks, the second term 14 weeks, and the third term 9 weeks. This change in the school closing date is significant, as it affects the schedule for national examinations

Grade Six and Standard Eight candidates will sit for their KPSEA and KCPE exams from October 30 to November 2, 2023. The KCSE exams, on the other hand, will commence on November 3 and run until November 24, 2023.

Notably, this term marks the final cohort of KCPE students under the 8-4-4 system, which is being replaced by the 2-6-3-3-3 Competency-Based Curriculum. According to KNEC, over 3.5 million candidates will sit for national examinations with KCPE candidates covering the most soaring number ever recorded in the country.

This includes candidates eligible for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), and Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA).

KCPE and KPSEA candidates will have their rehearsal on October 27, 2023. The tests for both levels will start on October 30 and go through November 1, 2023. KCSE exams will start on October 23, 2023, and end on November 24, 2023.

The Ministry of Education has assured that the government will make sure candidates from banditry and terror attack areas are safe and secured as they sit for their exams.