Private schools have borne the brunt of school-closure in the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic with activities grinding to a complete stop.
The Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA) on Tuesday, August 18 announced that it would soon roll out a virtual school for all institutions.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, KPSA CEO Peter Ndoro stated that the virtual school was an affordable and scalable solution to ensure that all schools and students who have not been able to access learning during the pandemic can get some education.
"The bold decision to launch the platform is to make sure every student can access learning and teachers can also make money to survive by teaching," he stated.
Disclosing that they were looking to launch in September 2020, Ndoro explained that basic education was important and would cover primary education from kindergarten level to secondary school.
He added that the program would target 3,700 private schools, with a goal to grow the number of schools to 7,000 with 1.2 million students.
All students from the country can sign up and learn from their preferred schools online.
"All teachers including those in public schools can sign up for the program as well as create content and teach students online," the KPSA head stated.
He assured that the fees would be affordable to ensure that teachers get paid to survive.
Many teachers have been left jobless in the private sector, with many not getting paid unlike their counterparts in public schools, with some school heads transforming their classrooms and school facilities for other activities.
Some school heads have turned their rooms to chicken houses, while others have converted playgrounds into vegetable farms.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha announced that the government would commence on a communal learning program that would see classes undertaken under trees, in social halls and other community spaces with teachers on the government payroll leading lessons.
The program is set to begin in September and has been widely perceived as a shift away from the digital learning program which has left many learners from low-income backgrounds disenfranchised.
