The government’s decision to push the reopening of schools to September has far-reaching ramifications on the education sector. Learning institutions will have lost six months and, in practical terms, disoriented learners and teachers quite considerably. The challenge is how to recover the lost time and prepare learners psychological to resume proper learning.
The national examinations, which were due in October and November, have to be pushed ahead, preferably to early next year. That is quite disruptive and, for the Standard Eight and Form Four candidates, it means rethinking strategies for the exams.
But the major difficulty is how to reopen and manage schools. At the weekend, President Uhuru Kenyatta tasked the Ministries of Education and Health to prepare guidelines to give direction to schools and parents. Already, some thoughts must have been put to this through the Covid-19 education task force that submitted its report to Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha last week.
Some urgent steps have to be taken to prepare the institutions for reopening. The first is expanding infrastructure in schools, perhaps putting up make-shift structures to accommodate learners in the initial days. Many schools, especially public secondary, are congested and in a horrible state and cannot allow social distancing, making them potential hubs for coronavirus infections.
The national and county governments have to prioritise water provision to schools to enable them to maintain high hygiene levels. Classrooms, hostels, dining halls and toilets have to be constantly cleaned and learners assured of constant water supply for personal cleanliness and proper hygiene.
The Education ministry and the Teachers Service Commission will be required to sensitise teachers on handling learners within the context of Covid-19, particularly in regard to basic hygiene, health monitoring and emergency responses. Schools would need to have functioning health units and, importantly, established networks with local hospitals for referrals in case of infections.
Another critical issue is funding. The government has allocated some Sh6 billion for the education sector under the Covid-19 recovery package, which, among others, is earmarked for recruiting 10,000 teachers as well as infrastructure expansion. The cash should be immediately disbursed to schools once approved by Parliament. Further, the regular capitation grants, which have not been spent since schools were closed in March, should be disbursed before reopening for proper planning.
Given the tasks ahead, the Education ministry has to move in haste to prepare schools for reopening. In this regard, it should quickly unveil the new school calendar while it puts in place requisite measures for resumption of learning.
