The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers says calls to have schools reopen are premature.
Instead, Kuppet wants the government to concentrate on the fight against the coronavirus.
The union told the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Covid-19 Situation on Friday that it will not support any move to reopen schools unless there is evidence that the scourge has been contained.
The rate of infection is worse than it was when the schools were closed on March 15 by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
"Kenya will only beat this disease by flattening the curve through a substantially reduced number of confirmed cases. Parliament’s focus should not be the resumption of normal learning in schools. This, of necessity, would be part of the overall national post-Covid-19 recovery plan,” the union said in its submission to the Senator Johnson Sakaja-led committee.
"The closure of schools was in response to Covid-19. Being collection points of people, schools can quicken the spread of the disease. While we commiserate with the poorest among us, we know that they are better off alive than dead."
The number of confirmed cases in the country as of Friday was 621. Some 202 people have recovered, while 29 individuals have lost their lives to the virus.
As a containment measure, the government converted a number of learning facilities to serve as either quarantine or isolation centres because of the scarcity of medical infrastructure.
According to the union, 460 facilities, amongst them 25 universities and colleges, 36 Kenya Medical Training College campuses, 28 teacher training colleges and 331 secondary schools are currently holding Covid-19 patients, hence making it difficult for lessons to go on in case learning institutions are reopened.
(Edited by F'Orieny)
