The Ministry of Education requires Sh24 billion to implement its Covid-19 emergency response plan.
The Kenya Basic Education Covid-19 emergency response plan will run for 18 months beginning next month, and might include reorganisation of the school calendar from June to December.
According to the plan, the ministry has a deficit of Sh16 billion out of the total of Sh24 billion, the bulk of which will be used for health, safety and well-being of learners, teachers and education staff and meeting the demands of an interrupted school calendar.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha (pictured) maintained the schools will remain closed for another month and government will only re-open schools when safety of learners is ensured.
“We are managing a medical crisis that is not only affecting Kenya, but the entire world. It is disturbing to hear parents and guardians so much concerned about education yet they are not asking how schools can re-open in the midst of a health crisis,” Prof Magoha said.
According to the original school calendar, schools were to re-open yesterday for second term, but the CS suspended this for one month.
Schools closed on March 15 after Kenya reported its first Covid-19 case two days earlier. In April, learners are usually on holiday.
Declared safe
Magoha promised to re-open schools once the country is declared safe from the pandemic and assured parents that lost time will be recovered.
He said the online content being administered by Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) is meant to keep learners busy while at home.
He said the content is free and is being provided to both public and private schools.
However, he revealed that once the movement of persons is allowed, his ministry will engage some of its staff to provide gadgets like mobile phones, tablets and laptops to areas that are marginalised for easy access to online tuition.
“We are making efforts to make sure that the disadvantaged children get these gadgets to keep learning,” he said.
In the recovery plan, the ministry intends to use the money to reduce spread of the disease and continued learning during post-pandemic period.
The money will also be used to ensure easy and prompt access to learning opportunities through remote learning, including livestreaming, uninterrupted radio and television lessons.
“We will use the money for enhanced transition from grade to grade and cycle to cycle through provision of scholarships, additional support in form of remedial and catch-up classes and social support,” the CS said adding that his ministry will also use the money to strengthen its systems and human resource capacity for better response to the Covid-19 and recovery and future outbreaks.
Also proposed interventions are activation of ICT champions in all schools, development of partnerships with select community centres in informal settlements and provision of alternative power sources.
The ministry will also fumigate and disinfect schools used as quarantine centres and refurbish facilities, especially ablution blocks in affected schools.
Quality of education
Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA) chairman Peter Ndoro backed government on the suspension of learning and promised to work with the ministry to ensure the quality of education is upheld.
“Second Term has not begun. We are in total agreement with the CS that the country is managing a health crisis,” Ndoro said.
He was optimistic that when schools reopen, learners will be able to cover the three weeks lost in first term before embarking on Second Term syllabus. [The Writer is a 2019/2020 Bertha Fellow]
