What Magoha
order means for schools, learners, and teachers
After
weeks of thinking, Education CS George Magoha on Tuesday announced 2020 is
virtually wiped off the education calendar.
Every student in primary and secondary school
will have to consider 2020 as one long painful break due to the coronavirus.
Magoha,
however, said universities and technical colleges were free to open in
September on condition they take all measures to protect students from the
spread of Covid-19.
“All
learners in Grades 1 to 4, Standard 5 to 7 in 2020 and Forms 1 to 3 in 2020,
will remain in their current classes in 2021… This year’s KCPE, KCSE candidates
will sit their examination later in 2021,” Magoha said.
The
CS spoke at the Curriculum Development Institute in Kenya and termed the
extended closure decision unanimous.
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The
proposal to reopen in September was part of the initial recommendations to
President Uhuru Kenyatta by a team established by Magoha in May.
But
this was quickly followed by a second recommendation in June, instead favoring
reopening in January 2021.It will be the first time since the inception of the
30-year-old KCPE and KCSE tests that they will not be taking place.
The
ripple effects of this will see those currently in primary school spend nine
years and those in secondary spend five years in classrooms. In effect, the
decision will mean no intake in Grade 1, Form 1 and Preprimary 1, all which take
place in January each year. Universities, colleges and technical institutions
will also miss their annual intake in 2021.
Also
thrown into disarray is the implementation of the new curriculum that should be
moving to Grade 5 in 2020 and key programs such as the school feeding programme
and provision of sanitary towels.
The
no-school decision also opens a troubled future for some vulnerable children,
exposing them to drug abuse, teen pregnancies, FGM and early marriages .
Nicholas
Maiyo, chairman of the Kenya Parents Association, says the situation will
worsen unless swift action is taken. He criticized the amicable solutions
reached between perpetrators of defilement and other offences and victims’
families.
“There
are people who are responsible for child abuse, labour, violence and even
selling drugs to our children and we want them brought to book… The issue of kangaroo
courts should be completely eliminated for the safety of our children,” Maiyo
said.
To
keep the learners engaged, he said the association is working on how to develop
viable out-of-class learning that can suit all learners.
“We are reaching out to partners like Safaricom, Google, KICD and others to see how best we can ensure our children continue their education at home and keep them off harmful practices,” Maiyo said.
No salaries .So too, the extension of
school closure signals a fresh struggle for teachers in private school and
those contracted in public schools by the Boards of Management who are counting
three months of no salary. That’s because salaries are largely paid by school
fees.
For
them, the school shuttering means six more months of no pay, which does not sit
well with the Kenya Private Schools Association. Peter Ndoro, the association's
chief executive, on Tuesday said the institutions have not been able to pay
salaries since April. Others are backdating salaries to March.
“We
solely depend on school fees and in the absence of them we have no source of
revenue. At the moment, almost all schools have stopped paying their staff,”
Ndoro said. However, he said consultations are underway for government
assistance to provide its members a package to sustain their basic requirements
in the shutdown period.
The
extended closure also indicates the government’s plan to ensure the safety of
learners and quality of learning in schools before January.
With
six months left and an untouched budget, Indimuli Kahi, chairman of the Kenya
Secondary Schools Heads Association, says the decision will be a blessing in
disguise for public schools faced with serious problems, even before the advent
of coronavirus.
He
told the Star the government could use this time to ensure all schools have
proper infrastructure and all teachers are paid.
Kahi,
who is also the principal of Machakos Boys Secondary School, on Tuesday, said
the focus should now be shifted to developing huge infrastructure to
accommodate the ever-growing numbers in schools. “If we look at the situation
from a different angle, you will realize the big chance for government to
correct recurring challenges of poor infrastructure,” Kahi said.
He
suggests that monies meant for capitation and other programs targeting learners
can be reallocated to development of the institutions. "Secondary schools
will be bracing for a double intake under the new curriculum and this will need
huge resources to prepare for."
A
large gap between the capacity of boarding facilities and number of admitted
students was identified by Akello Misori, the Kenya Union of post-primary
educator secretary general.
“Space
in the boarding areas is very limited; most schools depend on triple-decker
beds. Water has also been a problem and these areas need to be looked at… Also
we need to recruit and employ new teachers,” Misori said.
He told the Star the government needs to
consider a stimulus package for private schools and their teachers.
“We
have asked the government to extend the economic stimulus package to the BoM
and private school teachers because moving forward, they will be very critical
in ensuring they fill teacher shortfalls.”
National
Assembly Education Committee acting chairman Malulu Injendi said this “new
beginning” will place children with limited or no access to remote learning
back on generally equal footing with those who can afford it. “It hurts, but it
is the most sensible way forward at this time when Kenya is yet to reach the
peak of the pandemic and modes of infection are still hazy,” Injendi said.
Upon
reopening, schools and learning institutions will be required to reduce
physical contact by having fewer learners.
Schools
will be required to ensure intense hand washing with soap and/or the use of
hand sanitizer, wearing of masks and measuring of staff and learners’ body
temperature.