Govt Announces School Reopening and National Exam Timelines for 2025
The Ministry of Education has officially released the academic calendar for 2025, confirming that schools across the country will reopen in the first week of January. This announcement follows the recent conclusion of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
In a circular issued on Thursday, November 28, the Ministry outlined that all schools are to commence the first term on January 6, 2025. The term will run for 13 weeks, ending on April 4. During this period, students will take a five-day half-term break from February 26 to March 2, and thereafter, the first term holiday will extend from April 7 to April 25.
Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang stated that the second term would begin on April 28 and span 14 weeks before concluding on August 1, 2025. A half-term break is scheduled from June 25 to June 29. Following the second term, students will enjoy a three-week holiday from August 4 to August 22.
The third term will commence on August 25 and last for nine weeks, culminating in the end-of-year break starting October 24. This will mark the beginning of the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) for 2025, set to run from October 27 to October 30. Similarly, the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) exams will also begin on October 27 and conclude on October 31.
Meanwhile, the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams are scheduled for November 3 to November 21. The examinations will run for three weeks, allowing ample time for students to showcase their academic prowess.
The announcement comes shortly after the completion of the 2024 KCSE, which involved 900,000 candidates sitting for at least 20 papers each over a three-week period ending November 22. Marking for these exams is set to begin soon.
Commenting on instances of exam malpractice during the KCSE, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba assured that any cases of cheating would be addressed individually to ensure fairness. Speaking at a press conference on November 11, Ogamba emphasized, “If a student is caught engaging in malpractice, the invigilator will record the serial number of the exam paper to trace the source of the issue and take appropriate action against the student.”
The newly released calendar aims to streamline operations within schools and ensure students are well-prepared for their assessments in the coming year.
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Govt Announces School Reopening and National Exam Timelines for 2025
