By Amoto Ndiewo
Many private schools in North Eastern region are considering closing the business altogether after incurring losses as coronavirus pandemic plunges.
Mohamed Malele, a shareholder of Iqra schools, says that many schools will not survive because their owners do not have any other sources of income.
“We haven’t paid rent. The little money left can’t be enough to feed our families, we can’t neither afford to pay our residential houses nor the schools staff,” said Malele.
He said some private schools are servicing loans and are in fear of being told to pay for licenses by the respective county governments in Wajir, Garissa and Mandera, noting that they were at the loggerheads with the devolved government even before the epidemic.
He said that even if allowed to operate the school owners will still struggle to follow guidelines given by the government in light of Covid-19. He said county governments should consider waiving the license fees for players in the education industry.
“It will be most unfair to expect businesses to pay taxes and other fees when they haven’t been making any money at all.”
Most teachers in private schools have resorted to other jobs such as working in construction sites or operate as boda boda riders.
A principal told Education News that, he is finding a tall order to make ends meet. He is doing bodaboda but with many bodaboda to compete with it becomes a tall order.
“At home we are expected to foot the bill for everything, yet our sources of income have drained,” said Sam Obumba, a private school teacher, who is now farming.
