Tom Maruko | NATION Education minister Sam Ongeri.
By PETER OBUYA potieno@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Monday, March 19 2012 at 15:37
Posted Monday, March 19 2012 at 15:37
Education Minister Prof Sam Ongeri has dismissed claims that holding the general election in March 2013 will interfere with the school calendar.
The Minister said the proposed date will help candidates tackle examinations in peace without the interference of intense campaigns that normally precede elections.
“Elections are conducted in two or three days and we can organize for half-term breaks during that time so that we resume after the polls. That will also spare our candidates the agony of revising for exams at a time when political campaigns are intense," he said.
The Minister said those opposed to the date should stop using the education calendar as a scapegoat and instead move to court to challenge the decision.
“Those opposed to the date should follow the legal channels of challenging the decision and stop using the school calendar as scapegoat. As a ministry, we have no problem with the date,” Mr Ongeri said.
He made the remarks on Monday during a workshop organised by Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) in Nairobi. The workshop seeks to find ways of ensuring 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary schools by 2015.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had on Saturday announced that the next General Election will be held in March 2013.
IEBC chairman Issack Hassan said that his Commission has been "compelled" to set the March 4 date since President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga have failed to agree on a date as set out in a court ruling.
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