Education CS George Magoha disclosed plans to reopen schools in November with Form Four and Class Eight candidates being given the first priority to sit national exams.
The Ministry has not issued a plan on how nursery schools and kindergartens will reopen. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has warned that neglecting these school-going children could affect their growth and development.
UNESCO argued that learning losses could be disproportionately larger in the first two or three years of primary school, compared to children in older grades.
The body stated that in many countries where the school year is split between two calendar years, there is still about a month of class time left, while in countries where the school year falls within one calendar year, classes are just starting.
"In the former case, policy decisions on education delivery revolve around temporary measures to bridge the gap between the middle of the second semester and the end of the school year, while in the latter case, decisions revolve around new policies for the incoming school year.
"These decisions include implementing a reduced curriculum; implementing online and distance education; implementing in-service teacher training on a massive scale; and monitoring student participation and performance on a continuous basis," UNESCO stated.
Data presented by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in 2019 indicated that Kenya has 46,530 pre-primary institutions with 28,383 public and 18,147 private schools.
1,393,719 boys joined pre-primary one (PP1) and pre-primary two (PP2), while 1,344,868 girls were enrolled in PP1 and PP2 in 2019.
The World Health Organisation urged Kenya to reopen schools, indicating that the future of over 3 million nursery school kids and other students was at risk.
WHO stated that negative effects of the extended education disruption were significant as poor nutrition, stress, increased exposure to violence and exploitation, childhood pregnancies had been witnessed across the continent.
Regional Director for Africa Dr. Matshidiso Moeti noted that schools paved the way for success for many Africans as well as providing a safe haven for children in challenging situations.
"I concur with WHO. I am worried that my child won't go to school yet he loves learning. The Ministry has to address the issue," a parent with a nursery school going pupil stated while speaking with Kenyans.co.ke.
