By Roy Hezron
In a joint media briefing held on 3rd January 2021, Cabinet Secretary for Education Prof George Magoha proudly attested that as directed by the government, schools have complied with the set Covid-19 protocols as learning resumes after a ten-month holiday that was prompted by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, two days after his solemn assurances that schools were ready for reopening, Kenyan Media painted a grim picture of the situation and that seemed not to have gone well with the state prompting a directive to ban them from visiting schools.
The briefing was flagged by the Health CS Mutahi Kagwe, Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, and ICT CS Joe Mucheru.
Prof Magoha emphasized on the issue of face masks urging parents to provide their children with at least two re-washable masks. He, however, noted that the government will only provide 7 million masks to the learners coming from the most vulnerable households.
“Overall, masks are part of the school uniform hence parents and guardians are expected to acquire them for their children,” said Prof. Magoha in a statement.
The CS also urged parents to pay school fees no matter dire the financial situation may be to enable the smooth running of schools’ operations. Nevertheless, the CS asked school heads to allow learners to study despite their fee status as the government finds a way out.
“Those parents with children in boarding schools please pay fees for your children. Just as they eat at home, so they must be fed in school,” said Prof. Magoha.
The CS added that candidates whose schools have been closed will be enrolled in various schools from where they will sit their examinations as guided by the Ministry of Education through the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC).
Regarding the candidates who have been transferred to public schools from private schools as a result of the financial impotence brought about by the pandemic, the CS directed that they be enrolled in public schools but they will be required to sit their examinations in their respective centres they were registered before.
“A lot of work and resources have gone into the preparations to have them return to school and learn effectively. Therefore, all leaners must ignore the naysayers who are out to distract them with cheap politics. Neither should they get distracted by teething problems,” said the CS.
He also directed schools to compile lists of all learners with underlying conditions with a view to institute measures to protect them from Covid-19 infections.
“The Ministry wishes to thank and congratulate all teachers for their gallant efforts in continuing to provide a safe learning environment during the Covid-19 pandemic era,” added Prof. Magoha.
On the emergency isolations centres in the learning institutions, Prof. Magoha urged the institutions to sustain and expand them to enable them to handle any possible Covid-19 cases as it was during the partial re-opening.
Meanwhile, Basic Education Principal Secretary Dr Belio Kipsang stated that data collected across the country shows that most leaners have returned to school recording about 90 per cent attendance on the second day of re-opening adding that data from boarding schools is still low as most institutions issued varied reporting dates for different classes.
Kipsang said by close of the re-opening week, the Ministry projects that the reporting rate will be nearly 100 per cent.
However, speaking during his inspection tours at St. Luke Githwariga Primary School in Nyeri on 5th January 2021, Prof. Magoha attributed low enrollment of learners in North Eastern and Coast counties to delay in rolling out the school feeding programme saying that the government will provide food to schools in famine-hit areas in a bid boost enrollment.
