School hours guidelines issued by the Government
School hours guidelines issued by the Government. Following the statement from Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu,the government has requested that schools adhere to the learners’ gazetted school hours. This most recent notification comes at a time when some schools have reportedly been breaking the rules, putting students in danger. Situations when teachers need students to attend remedial classes very early in the morning and very late in the evening are concerning. This makes students feel insecure and mostly the day scholars who trek many kilometers to school.
Here is the most recent message to schools;
‘The Government takes note with concern that some schools are not observing the official gazetted school hours as per the Basic Education Act Regulations, 2015. Consequently, a lot of learners are picked by school buses in the wee hours of the morning, some as early as 4.30a.m.
This exposes them to safety risks and interferes with their growth and development due to inadequate sleep.
Regulation 84 of Basic Education Act Regulations 2015 prescribes the official school hours as follows;
1). All day public or private institutions official operating hours shall be Monday to Friday:
(a) 8.00a.m. to 3.30p.m for class hours
(b) 3.30p.m. to 4.45p.m. for co-curricular activities
2). No day institutions of Basic Education and training shall require learners to report earlier than 7.15 a.m and start lessons at 7:45 a.m
3). All institutions with boarding facilities shall operate on 24/7 hour basis as follows;
(a) 8.00 a.m. to 3.30 p.m; for class Monday to Friday.
(b) 3.30p.m. to 4.45 p.m; for co-curricular activities Monday to Friday
(c) 500 p.m. to 7.30 p.m; for self-directed activities Monday to Friday
(d) 7.30 to 9.30 p.m; preps Monday to Friday;
(e) 9.30 to 6.00 a.m; bedtime Monday to Friday; and
(f) 6.00 a.m. to 8.00 a.m; for supervised routine activities.
5). No boarding institution shall send away unaccompanied learner later than 9.00 a.m.
6). The latest reporting time for learners to boarding institutions shall be 5.00 p.m.