Kenya’s Education Minister Ezekiel Machugo has banned early and late classes in schools, saying that children need their nine-hour sleep and this could be hindered if they are forced to attend such classes.
Mister. Machugo instructed that classes in public and private elementary schools should be between 8:00 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. to ensur students see given the opportunity to learn at designated periods.
The study program must be sufficiently covered between the specified time according to the minister. “Let us not subject the students to unnecessary mental torture,” he said.
The minister said he had noticed a trend with school buses picking up children at 5am and dropping them off at 8pm.
The question of school registration times was controversial in Kenya.
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The BBC carried out an investigation in 2021 when there was a rise in arson attacks in secondary boarding schools and found that pupils were in class from 4.30am to 10pm. Next, the students surveyed complained about the tight curriculum and lack of extracurricular activities.
“As we resume our normal educational calendar, the curriculum states that learning begins at 8am and ends at 3:45pm. We subject our students to an unnecessary struggle by waking them up at 4:00 a.m. to study to the school classes at 6:00 a.m.,” Muchugo said.
“You will see students walking the streets very early in the morning going to school for catch-up classes. I saw some buses picking up students on their way home at 10pm. We won’t allow that,” Machugo added.
He also emphasized the need for students to get enough rest and sleep to be active enough to enjoy their academic life.
He said: “We’re not going to expose our children to too much stress that affects their mental health. We want to have fun and enjoy learning. Our children should get enough rest and sleep. Let the children become children and enjoy their school life.” .”
