A Class 6 student has expressed her regrets and disappointment with Education CS George Magoha after school's fully reopened on Monday, January 4.
Stella Maris, from Bungoma DEB in Bungoma County, said that she expected more desks and upgraded facilities as the government had made countless promises during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I expected more desks and knew that we would sit one student per desk. I was of the hope that we would also maintain social distance. When the government asked us to go back to school, I was shocked and excited at the same time.
"I am comfortable wearing a mask but the classes are congested and they are too hot inside. Teachers instruct us not to remove our masks and we only take them off to breathe a little," she said while speaking NTV.
The student added that she was stuck at home for over nine months and struggled to cope up with personal learning. Her father was a hero as he taught her a number of life skills during the crisis.
Maris sent a message to Magoha, saying that if she met him, she would urge the CS to construct more classes for students.
On Monday, January 4, a video of two tutors teaching Grade 4 and Class 8 candidates in the same class at the same time at Seriani School in Baringo County compounded the challenges institutions are facing.
In the video, the respective teachers of the two classes are seen at the blackboard with one teaching English and the other tutoring in religious studies.
A Kenyan also shared his frustrations with school reopening saying that "My baby brother in Kindergarten (PP2) resumed school today for the first time post-Covid-19 and all they did today was learn the disease precautionary measures. I went to pick him from school and found him sharing a lollipop with his friends," the netizen tweeted.
Magoha instructed teachers to teach students under trees and maximise every open space, from dining halls to school auditoriums to enforce social distance. He, nonetheless, acknowledged that would be hard to achieve social distance in schools.
In an interview with Citizen TV on Sunday, January 3, he asked Kenyans, education stakeholders, parents and teachers to desist from comparing Kenya with countries such as Rwanda which had constructed more classes for students.
He argued that his style of leadership was effective but admitted that managing the education docket was a tough call.
"If I wronged anybody at any time, I want the person to forgive me because it was not intentional. This is a difficult job and I would not wish to be Education CS again," he lamented.
