Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha says the actual re-opening dates for schools and Universities will be agreed following consultations with the Ministry of Health.
The CS, however, hailed Mount Kenya University for its preparedness ahead of the targeted re-opening of schools and universities in January.
Speaking while on a tour of the institution, Magoha said MKU has not only complied with the set guidelines on re-opening but has set the bar extremely high and urged other institutions to follow suit.
Magoha noted that of all the institutions he has visited, only MKU and Strathmore University have complied with the guidelines.
He commended the University for embracing online learning saying it has helped students continue with their studies even after Universities closed due to COVID 19.
MKU Vice-Chancellor Prof Stanley Waundo said the University has done all that is required to pave way for a smooth re-opening.
Waundo said once the CS allowed Universities to prepare a re-opening plan, they developed strategies for each containment measures by constituting a health technical advisory committee that comprised of members who understand community health.
The VC expressed his gratitude to the CS for the endorsement saying they will continue improving their standards ahead of the re-opening.
Waundo further revealed that they have fully integrated online learning for programs that don’t require practicals saying It’s cheaper and the way to go.
MKU Don Dr Vincent Gaitho said the endorsement by the CS was a vote of confidence for the good work they are doing saying as an institution they have always underscored quality and service
He said the University has over 10k Government sponsored students and that they are on the right path compared to other institutions.
CS Magoha also visited the nearby Thika Technical Training Institute where he pointed out areas that need improvement ahead of the re-opening.
Magoha said while he was impressed with the progress the Technical institute has made, there are areas that need urgent interventions but expressed hope that this will be done before the year ends.
Institute BoD Chairman, Dr Joseph Njuguna Muguthu said they were humbled by the visit to check on preparedness saying the CS was kind enough to identify areas where they need to improve and commended where they have done well.
Dr Mugutha said they will increase the water points as well as bring in more sanitizers, saying the board has allocated resources to expand the cafeteria to ease congestion.
According to Mugutha, classes will no longer accommodate the usual number of students and the board, therefore, intends to improve the infrastructure to enable the institute to accommodate more learners.
“The CS has also urged us to complete projects that have stalled, they will, in turn, accommodate more students. We are optimistic that by January we will be ready for the reopening,” he said.
Dr Mugutha said the Technical Institute has been earmarked as a centre of excellence in automotive engineering in a project funded by GAZ saying this will help our learners acquire skills to meet the current demand in the job market.
