•Senate education committee recommends reopening schools in September to ensure all children learn
•The Ministry of Education suspended physical learning in March to stem the spread of the virus
Image: Alphonce Gari
A senate committee has advised the government to reopen primary and secondary schools next month, albeit in phases to protect learners and teachers from the Coronavirus.
This comes weeks after the Ministry of Education ruled out reopening of schools this year in the wake of the ravaging global pandemic.
The ministry has pushed the reopening of basic, secondary, and tertiary institutions to January next year to safeguard learners and tutors from the virus.
The Senate Education committee argued that the virtual learning being advocated by the ministry and other players is untenable as it locks out many learners, especially from poor families.
“The delivery of the curriculum and continued learning through virtual and distance learning programmes is facing numerous challenges and appears to be poorly designed to cater for all the learners due to their varied needs and abilities,” the committee said in a report laid in the senate.
Committee chairperson Alice Milgo (nominated) said in the report that learning timetables for virtual lessons are not accessible and the time allocated is inadequate.
“There is unequal distribution of subjects and all lessons are covered by the virtual and distance learning programmes,” reads the report.
The report is titled, Continued Learning and Reopening of Learning Institutions Closed Due To Covid-19 Pandemic.
According to the committee, a phased reopening of basic education learning institutions beginning September will take care of all cadres of learners.
The phased reopening will allow division of classes into smaller groups and allowing each group its own specific room where learners only interact with classmates in their assigned group.
“Priority should be given to the national examinations classes (KCPE and KCSE) so that they can continue with syllabus coverage and prepare for examinations,” Milgo said in the report.
The committee recommends that the first lessons for students after reopening should cover similar topics, including prevention of the virus, health care maintenance, and how to respond to emergency drills.
The panels further advocate for the prohibition of the usual morning meetings and parades, cancellation of all sporting activities, and field trips in order to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
“Frequent cleaning and hand-washing practices should be observed and conducted twice a day,” Milgo, a nominated senator from Bomet, said.
All members of staff and learners should always wear cloth face masks, desks and other work stations should be spaced at least six feet apart and minimize time spent inside closed rooms.
The committee also proposes to the Ministry to outline and circulate standard operating Procedures for dealing with potential exposure to coronavirus.
This, according to the committee, will ensure that learning institutions are able to manage identified infections or symptoms within the school by providing isolation rooms.
“The Ministry of Education should mobilise the support and assistance from different government departments and agencies, including KDF and NYS to provide water and sanitation in schools,” reads the report.
The ministry should also ensure that there are adequate handwashing facilities; basins, running water, and soap dispensers in appropriate stations within the schools, the report says.
It adds that the education ministry should provide regular and strict internal and external monitoring and evaluation that should be reported as bi-weekly reports to the Parliament, teachers’ unions and National Parents Association.
“The County Directors of Education should continuously assess the readiness of school facilities to ensure that they are meeting the minimum health and safety standards necessary to support Covid-19 mitigation strategies."