Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has warned schools across the country against violating official learning hours.
While appearing before the National Assembly to respond to concerns raised by Members of Parliament (MPs) on Wednesday, October 8, CS Ogamba acknowledged that it is true some pupils are reporting to school earlier than usual, contrary to ministry regulations.
According to the CS, the ministry’s policy states that learning hours should begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m.
“We have a regulation policy — school begins at 8:00 a.m. and closes at 3:00 p.m. for classes. These are the official hours set by the ministry, and circulars have been issued to that effect,” Ogamba stated.
“Any institution operating outside these hours is acting against ministry guidelines.”
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He added that disciplinary action will be taken on a case-by-case basis against schools found picking up pupils too early in the morning.
“We, as the ministry, undertake to work with all other government agencies to ensure that the circular on school hours is enforced. Serious administrative action will be taken against any institution that violates it so that we can restore order in our schools with respect to learning time,” he stated.
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The response came after Kisii Woman Representative Dorice Donya raised concerns over the safety of school-going children, particularly young girls, who are forced to leave home as early as 4:30 a.m. to trek to school.
Speaking on the floor of the house, Donya said it was unnecessary and dangerous for pupils to be on the road that early, especially in regions such as Kisii, where she claimed cases of defilement are high.
“The school-going children are in uniform; The CS doesn’t need to investigate. He can even liaise with the Ministry of Interior — police officers are everywhere. They arrest these children, take them to the police station, and then you question the school,” Donya said.
“I come from Kisii, where we have high rates of defilement. These children are on the road by 4:30; there is no electricity, and we have so many bushes — meaning we have given our girls to the world. At 4:30, are they studying for PhDs?” she added.
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She urged Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba to issue a strict circular reinforcing the official school reporting hours, so that if schools are to begin at 8:00 a.m., students will leave home at 6:00 a.m., a safer time when everyone can see them.
“When they report to school and don’t honor the circular, then something must be done to those schools — the way it has been before, when they were told schools must have yellow buses, and everything was in order,” she stated.
“The CS must act; he must be tough. In fact, next week I’m going to Kisii — if I bring more photos of children going to school, something has to be done from Waziri’s office. It is not a walk in the park; it is very bad for our young girls who have to go to school at 4:30.
The concerns also come from Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, while speaking in Kisii County on Friday, September 12, expressed concern that traveling early in the morning puts children at a higher risk of defilement
“In some instances, children are being defiled on their way to school. Some schools require children to be in school by 6 am, and you find them leaving their homes around 4 am or 5 am. This is unacceptable and against the rules that govern our education system,” said Murkomen.
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