• With the compression of the school calendar, 23% of teachers surveyed predict a rush to cover the syllabus.
• 13% of teachers predict reopening will greatly increase their workload. Macharia tells them to innovate, calls their preparedness "fairly adequate".
Image: WILFRED NYANGARESI
Teachers have raised concerns over school congestion and inadequate space while Covid persists as schools reopened on Monday.
A survey released on Monday by the Teachers Service Commission also suggests schools are worried about nonpayment of fees by parents impacted by Covid.
The survey suggests 30 per cent of teachers were also concerned about how Covid-19 would be managed in overcrowded schools as the country anticipates the fourth wave of the disease, especially the Delta variant.
The survey was conducted during the just-concluded holiday period and involved 5,176 teachers. Seventy per cent of the participants were male, 29 per cent were female.
Primary and secondary schools reopened for the 2021 school calendar on Monday.
It will cover only 30 weeks between July and March next year, in contrast to the usual 39 weeks.
With the shrinking ischool calendar, 23 per cent of teachers who participated in the survey predict a rush to cover the syllabus as one of the major hurdles they face.
According to the survey, 13 per cent of teachers surveyed predicted a greatly increased workload.
The heavy workload is caused by the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum, now in Grade 5.
Secondary schools will also be anticipating a surge in population with the incoming Form 1 students to be admitted on August 2.
This year, the number admitted to Form 1 will hit a record of 1.17 million learners.
This will push the secondary school population to 3.8 million students.
Sixteen per cent of teachers said the congestion and inadequate infrastructure and space were a major concern that likely would ose problems.
"The full resumption of learning with the coming in of Grade 5 and Form 1 learners will exert more pressure on the already strained status setup in the school environment," the survey read.
TSC chief executive Nancy Macharia described the level of teachers' preparedness in the management of Covid-19 as fairly adequate and in need of strengthening.
"We are aware that with the return of all 15 million learners to the classrooms, resources will be more constrained. Yet as teachers, we must adopt more innovative measures to ensure learners get quality teaching,” Macharia said.
To ease congestion, Macharia revealed the TSC will be posting 8,914 teachers to schools beginning August 1.
COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
In looking at the health protocols, the TSC survey indicated 80.9 per cent of respondents could access running water to wash their hands.
Image: WLRED NYANGARISI
However, those who could not access water identified inadequate facilities, including taps, pipes or tanks as the major hindering factor.
Drought, dry boreholes and long distances from water sources were other reasons for lack of water in schools.
Use of sanitizer was found to be minimal with just 20.9 per cent of respondents affirming regular use.
The survey said 54.9 per cent of the respondents shunned sanitiser because of the cost and schools used them mainly for visitors
The survey said 31.9 per cent of respondents preferred using soap and water.
Sanitizer was also unpopular due to lack of availability in many school neighbourhoods, considered health hazards and prone to misuse by students.
The survey said teachers surveyed found sanitizer too dangerous in primary schools, especially lower grades, as children could ingest it or touch their eyes with it.
Macharia urged teachers to continue observing the hand hygiene protocols and wearing of masks.
“We must strive to wear masks and wash our hands regularly with soap and running water or use sanitizer at all times. We must not drop our guard on adhering to the MoH measures.” she said.
The TSC also raised concern over dissatisfaction with the medical service provided to teachers.
MEDICAL SERVICES
The survey indicated 39 per cent of surveyed teachers were unhappy and unable to access medical service through TSC medical cover.
Medical cover is provided to teachers and their dependents through Minet Kenya.
The survey indicated teachers were mostly unhappy with maternity, surgery and laboratory services. Only 0.1 per cent of those surveyed expressed satisfaction.
This means that in every 1,000 teachers who sought the above services only one expressed satisfaction.
Outpatient and regular check-up services got the highest approval at 62 and 14 per cent, respectively.
The teachers medical cover has been a thorn in the flesh with occasional stand-offs between unions representing teachers and the service providers.
According to the survey, 60 per cent of the respondents said the medical facilities visited had poor customer service while 29 per cent complained about the distance of the health facilities.
Seven per cent were unhappy with the low limit on the medical cover and two per cent were unhappy due to lack of drugs and medical personnel in facilities visited.
At the same time, the TSC revealed 158,678 teachers had received at least the first Covid-19 vaccination jab.
However, Macharia raised concerns over 44 per cent of teachers who had yet to be receive at least one dose.
She said 73 teachers have so far died of Covid-19 since the first case was reported, while another 454 have recovered.
"I urge the 44.4 per cent of teachers who did not receive any vaccination at all to move quickly and get the jab to protect their lives," Macharia said.
(Edited by V. Graham)