EXTENSION OF FIRST SEMESTER LEARNING ACTIVITIES IN KIBABII

The strike had begun on October 29,2024disrupting university education across the country. The lectures were demanding that the government implementation of the CBA, which included a salary raise of 7-10% .They also wanted to defend their pensions, receiver fair pay and have some job security. The trike raised concern about quality of education given to students. After The Employment and Labour Relations ordered the two parties to resume negotiations in good faith hence the strike ending on 25 of November 20204. 

In  many public universities, learning activities had been suspended, leaving students in a state of uncertainty, with some opting to return home. At Kibabii University, lecture halls were seen filled only with empty chairs, with no students in sight. Other school areas, which are usually bustling with activity on Monday’s when classes are ongoing, were deserted, except for a few students working on extra tasks within the campus premises. Lecturers, who would typically arrive early to teach, were observed engaging in different activities during the strike period. After the strike ended the Elimu Bora Working group, asked the govermrnt to extend the semester to make up for lost time.

Following a lengthy strike by the lecturers, students are now bearing the brunt of a heavy academic load, with institutions compacting months of missed classes into several weeks in an effort to save the semester. Universities like Kibabii, subjects are interspersed with never ending assignments and endless exams and little time to acclimatize or rest. Final-year students are under particular strain, combining dissertations and internship applications with a compressed syllabus. The pressure to learn so much content in such a short time has its own drawbacks, however.

The postponement of first-semester exams following a prolonged lecturers' strike has brought mixed reactions among students, with both benefits and drawbacks. The extension provides students more time to catch up on missed content, revise thoroughly, and complete pending assignments, offering a chance to improve their preparedness and performance. However, the delay has also disrupted academic schedules, postponing graduations, internships, and transitions to subsequent semesters, causing a ripple effect on future plans. Despite the additional preparation time, the uncertainty and pressure to adapt to an unstable academic calendar remain significant challenge.

While strike becomes a major challenge in provision of government services, government should make sure all public servants are paid accordingly with their needs fulfilled to ensure no setbacks in any public sector.