- Pregnant girls allowed back in school following state directive in October.
- Education For All, 13 per cent of primary and secondary school learners drop out of school at any given time because of poverty, among other factors.
Image: LINAH MUSANGI
Since schools closed in March last year, 16-year-old Brian (not his real name) has been in the boda boda business in Mathare, Nairobi.
He should be resuming school this week to join his colleagues in Form 3 at a local day school but he will not.
Instead, he will be fending for his family following his mother's death early last year after a long illness.
His father was rendered jobless in March following the economic fallout due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Immediately mum fell ill in 2018, I started skipping classes but last year I fully gave up on my education to start providing for my younger sister who is now eight years old. Our father, though not working, is rarely present,” Brian says.
His sister’s education and wellbeing are his priority. She is in Grade 2 and has already resumed class in a nearby primary school.
Brian always dreamt of becoming a nurse, but he fears this may not come to pass as things are getting thick.
“I will not resume school since life is now pretty expensive. We need sanitiser and masks, all of which are new school expenses yet Covid-19 made money disappear. If I go to school, my sister will suffer more than if I don’t. I have to provide for her,” he says.
Brian is just one of many children not in school because of poverty.
According to Education For All, 13 per cent of primary and secondary school learners drop out of school at any given time because of poverty, among other factors.
The dropout rate for children at primary school level was estimated at 21 per cent pre-Covid.
The secondary school dropout rate is thought to be higher but there's no precise data.
There are, however, some positive cases.
Wycliffe Nyata, 19, cannot wait to go back to school on Wednesday. That's when his school reopens.
He fears his life will be ruined if he stays home much longer.
Nyata decided he had had it with education and officially called it quits when the state ordered schools closed in March last year over the Covid-19 pandemic. He was in Form 2.
Soon he joined other idling young men in drinking illicit liquor, smoking bhang and robbing residents in Kiambu.
One day as he was walking around looking for a pint to cure his hangover, he heard of the Kazi Mtaani programme.
He applied and was recruited in the second cohort after the piloting phase ended on July 30.
The job kept him busy during the long schools closure.
“I have learnt that it is a good thing to be busy and I will no longer stay out of school. Now that Kazi Mtaani is almost ending, I will just go back to school. There is not much to do without an education,” Nyata says.
He says the job kept him away from bad company that almost ruined his life.
“It is good to be busy and the money I made from Kazi Mtaani will help with the school expenses like those of masks, books and sanitiser,” he says.
Linda* gave birth in May last year after dropping out of school in December 2019 when her pregnancy started showing.
She is to resume school on Thursday.
The 14-year-old was in Standard 7 when she dropped out. She says the long break gave her a chance to think about her life.
“I was ashamed of schooling while pregnant and I knew that was the end of my education life. But now since even pregnant girls are resuming school, I will also go back as a young mother,” she says.
Linda says education is vital and she is glad pregnant girls are no longer being shamed.
“I have also encouraged a few pregnant friends to resume school. Last year was tough but they, just like me, now have a chance to continue with education,” she says.
In October, Education CS George Magoha directed teachers and schools to accommodate learners who fell pregnant during the long break. He said they should be allowed to continue with the studies before and after delivery.
Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya