Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha (pictured) on Tuesday indicated that schools might resume operations on June 4.

The CS also issued the measures his ministry would take to ensure learners recover lost time once the institutions reopen. These include students spending more hours in class and going for shorter holidays.

On April 22, President Uhuru Kenyatta assured KCPE and KCSE candidates that they would sit their examinations as planned.

Measures, he said, were being put in place to ensure the exams take place.

Plans to ensure students return to school and do their exams show good intentions on the part of the government. They show the government cares for our children’s education.

Reopening schools would be good news for students who would definitely want to complete their studies on time.

However, while we would all of us be happy to see students back in class, it would not be advisable to rush the reopening. It is important we first remember why the schools were closed.

The government ordered the institutions closed after only one case of SARS-CoV2 was detected in the country. Are we better off now? Definitely not. 

The country had 581 coronavirus cases by yesterday and over 26 deaths. The daily infection rates have jumped from single digits to 45 and 47 on Tuesday and yesterday respectively. Clearly, things are getting worse.

It is hard to tell how things will look like in June, but if we stay on the current trajectory, the situation is likely to be dire.

That’s why we advise that there should be no hurry in reopening of schools. The institutions should only open doors if and when the coronavirus monster is fully contained.

As things stand now, reopening schools can put the lives of our children in jeopardy. Yes, the government might fumigate schools and do everything humanly possible to keep the virus at bay, but it would take only one student to spark off a conflagration.

Notably, the students will be travelling to different parts of the country to schools even outside their counties. If one of them is infected or catches the virus on their way to school, the result might be disastrous.

That’s why there should be no urgency in reopening the schools. The urgency should be in defeating the virus. In fact, it is better for students even to miss the exams than to fall sick or even lose their lives.

Unlike death, missing an exam is not the end of life.