President Uhuru Kenyatta's hint at partially reopening schools to enable students to sit their national exams has been received in disbelief from various stakeholders in the education sector.
According to a report by The Standard on Saturday, April 25, the stakeholders including headteachers, parents, and other associations have called upon the government to reconsider owing to the fact that some schools are to be used as isolation centres for Covid-19 patients.
Some parents who spoke to the publication informed that they were not ready to release their children, even if they are candidates scheduled to sit examinations this year.
Parents Association Chairman Nicholas Maiyo insisted that he had received communication from parents who are afraid of the students returning to school before the pandemic is contained.
“No parent will allow their child back to school before Coronavirus is contained. Parents are afraid, the government must contain the pandemic first,” he said.
He insisted that the government should reconsider the use of schools as isolation centres as early as possible because it could create an unnecessary panic that might distract learning if it is to resume soon.
Maiyo's sentiments were echoed by the national chairman of the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kessha) Kahi Indimuli who called upon the government to drop the plan to use schools as isolation centres.
“The planned use of schools as isolation centers should be dropped to secure the learning environments,” Indimuli, was quoted.
According to the reports, the headteachers are also concerned by the double speak from the government and apparent indecisiveness on the use of schools as either learning institutions and isolation centres.
In March, the government listed 460 schools that would be turned into emergency medical facilities, with a bed capacity of 138,220, should the number of Coronavirus patients overwhelm the country’s health facilities.
However, the president announced on April 22, 2020, that the 1.2 million Kenya Certificate of Primary Education and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education candidates would be recalled to sit tests, adding further confusion.
In tandem with this new directive, however, teachers have proposed that if partial opening is to succeed, it must happen before end of June, putting more pressure on the government to contain the virus spread.
