Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion has listed new demands to Education CS George Magoha over the reopening of schools.
Sossion spoke at Radio Citizen on Thursday morning, April 30, alongside Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) Chairman Kahi Indimuli, hosted by Vincent Ateya.
The KNUT boss first acknowledged and agreed with Magoha that the school closure period was enough for students to prepare for national exams (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education). However, he argued that the government needed to put in place new structures upon resumption of studies.
"Schools should reopen afresh if we would be able to contain this Coronavirus pandemic.
"Right now, our main focus is on how we should adhere to Covid-19 protective measures. However, if we curb the disease, and schools reopen, it will be imperative to come up with a fresh plan on how studies will continue. Class Eight and Form Four students should be given the utmost priority," Sossion urged.
On his end, KESSHA Chairman Indimuli stated that the best way to ensure students resumed classes is if the government contains the pandemic by May 2020. This would create ample time to prepare students.
"Even if we resume studies, we shall still continue to adhere to the Ministry of Health directives like wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing.
"We have to protect our children. Even if we say that the cases have depreciated and children can resume studies, we have to go on protecting them," Indimuli stated.
Calls for school resumptions are increasing, with many stakeholders urging the government to allow students to continue with studies.
On Friday, April 24, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Chairperson Omboko Milemba informed Kenyans.co.ke that the union had called for students to resume school to prevent the possibility of suspending the 2020 national examinations.
"We as the union had proposed that we postpone the exams. But postponing exams is not just excitement from the union, but it is one of the drastic measures that can be taken by the union. That is a very drastic measure but we may use it as our last wildcard," Milemba stated.
However, parents have been adamant that they would not risk the lives of their children with uncertainty over the full extent of the pandemic.
National Parents Association Chairman Nicholas Maiyo insisted that he had received communication from parents of fears of students returning to school before the pandemic was contained, in a report by The Standard on Saturday, April 25.
