By Norah Musega
When learning resumed on January 4th 2020, hard times awaited the school heads who were there to receive learners probably reporting with little or no fees as parents decried the economic impotence brought about by the pandemic.
The government despite informing the public that it had already disbursed the money to various public and secondary schools, school heads who spoke to Education News confirmed that no money has hit their accounts.
School heads and union leaders have, however, asked the government to speed up the process of disbursing funds to learning institutions to aid in putting up more structures to ensure Covid-19 set protocols are observed.
Kenya National Union of Teachers Migori branch Executive Secretary Caleb Opondi urged the government to release the education funds as fast as possible in a bid to ensure they put up infrastructural development in schools that will address the challenges of social distance.
He noted that the use of tree shades for learning will pose a challenge to both teachers and learners citing a lack of concentration during lessons among learners.
He added that learners will not be in a position to write properly while seated on the ground citing that the issue of desks has not been fully addressed.
“Most schools have inadequate shades to use for instance schools within Nyatike sub-county which experiences prolonged drought where it’s almost impossible to get trees within the institutions,” Lamented Opondi.
He also called on the Ministry of Education to collaborate with the Ministry of Health in providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to teachers to help in averting the dangers that lurk behind the Covi-19.
“Teachers must now be regarded as frontline workers in their line of duty following the president’s directive to reopen schools across the country from ECD to the tertiary level of education that has so far seen 80% of learners amid the pandemic hence should be provided with the PPEs,” said Opondi.
Opondi applauded the government for reopening the learning institutions saying that every school should now be provided with at least 2 PPE kits that will help the teachers when they come across a case while in school.
“The Ministry of Education should work in unison with that of Health to distribute PPEs to schools since teachers will equally be at risk while handling students is infected,” added Opondi.
He also asked the government to give teachers risk allowances just like it is health workers saying teachers are also in danger of contracting the virus.
His sentiments come hot on the heels of his KUPPET counterpart Samuel Orwa who recently asked the government to disburse funds to learning institutions.
