• Many students especially from rural and vulnerable households have been unable to access online learning.
• Unicef Kenya and Special Olympics Kenya started distributing learning materials to learners in Kibera slums.
Image: UNICEF/ BRIAN OTIENO
More than 2,400 learners from vulnerable families will receive materials to help them learn from home during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Families in Nairobi's informal settlements will get workbooks, stationery, textbooks and revision books to help them follow through Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development lessons.
On Monday, the Ministry of Education, Unicef Kenya and Special Olympics Kenya started distributing learning materials to learners in Kibera slums. The exercise is set to continue across other vulnerable households.
The United Nations Children’s Fund says the donation will keep the children at par with others currently learning via radio, television and online.
Since schools were ordered closed in mid-March, many students especially from rural and vulnerable households have been unable to access online learning materials due to lack of internet connectivity.
Estimates indicate that eight in every 10 learners in the country are currently missing out on virtual learning.
A current report by Unicef on remote learning, shows that one in three children has missed out on remote learning during the school closures.
Titled ‘Are Children Able to Continue Learning During School Closures?’ Unicef says that three-quarters of schoolchildren without access to remote learning live in rural areas. The others hail from urban vulnerable households among others.
“For at least 463 million children whose schools closed due to Covid-19, there was no such a thing as remote learning,” Unicef executive director Henrietta Fore said.
Even when children have the technology and tools at home, they may not be able to learn remotely through those platforms due to competing factors at home. These include pressure to do chores, being forced to work, a poor environment for learning and lack of support in using the online or broadcast curriculum.
Schoolchildren from the poorest households and those living in rural areas are by far the most likely to miss out during closures, the report said.
Globally, 72 per cent of schoolchildren unable to access remote learning live in their countries’ poorest households.
Following this, Unicef says the distribution will also pay special attention to those children living with disabilities to ensure inclusive education for all children.
“Unicef is also working with partners to provide lessons specifically for children with disabilities, especially those involving physical activities,” Unicef education officer Elizabeth Waitha said.
President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the closure of schools on March 15 after the first case of Covid-19 was confirmed in the country.
Following this, many institutions especially private schools opted for online learning to ensure access to educational curriculum outside the traditional classroom.
Edited by R.Wamochie