By Amoto Dennis Ndiewo
With many private schools having been shut down due to Covid -19 related issues and many parents having lost jobs for similar reasons and can no longer afford private school fees education CS George Magoha has directed public school heads to admit students from private schools, when schools reopen in January next year .
Although schools are yet to fully reopen and the heads don’t know what state of enrollment the learning institutions are in, the education CS has directed them to admit students from primary and secondary schools, who may need such transition?
Speaking during, Dr. Ida Odinga library Research, and Innovation and Resource Centre at Ogande Girls High School in Homa Bay the education CS announced that KSCE and KCPE candidates who registered for the examinations in private be admitted to public schools. He added that the students will learn in the public schools until few days to the start of the national examinations.
The prof warned head teachers against denying students from private schools admission.
‘’All pupils who cannot return to their private schools will be admitted in public schools , but will only return to private schools to sit for the national examinations ,’’ he said and further warned head teachers against sending students home for school fees .
He noted that many parents had lost jobs and thus having Covid -19 related financial difficulties thus learners shouldn’t be send home for fees.
The CS who assured parents of government to provide protective gear for students to prevent them from catching coronavirus, called upon head teachers to do their homework before they sent children home.
‘’The government will develop modalities for identifying the needy students whose parents can’t afford masks,’’ said Magoha who assured the parents that the government will provide desks at the cost of Sh .1.9billion by January 4th 2021.
He said that all learners must be allowed to resume lessons regardless of whether they are pregnant or not.
