Education CS Prof
George Magoha on Friday said he cannot say when schools will be reopened
because there are many factors involved.
While receiving a
report from the Education Response Committee on COVID-19, the CS emphasized that
the life of every child matters and this is not the time to put pressure on the
government on whether to administer exams or not.
“The goal of this report was not to open schools, the goal
was to ensure that our children remain safe whenever we decide to open the
schools.
“To us, the life of one child is very important; so rather
than thinking so much about exams & learning, teach the child what you know
yourself,” said Magoha.
The CS also said that the unpredictable nature of the
Coronavirus means that schools might be reopened and the number of infections
will go up.
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To avoid such a scenario, Magoha said reopening schools next
year is an option on the table but consultations are still ongoing.
“Would you rather allow 20,000 to die because you want to
reopen earlier?... these are serious possibilities that Kenyans must deal with.
“If we are not able to manage the situation the way we want
then we must be ready to stay with our children and wait for the right time…if
it means they have to resume early next year, so be it,” he remarked.
Asked about private schools that have introduced extra
charges due to new programmes, the CS told parents to negotiate with the schools
to charge reasonable fees.
“It was your choice to take your children to the private
schools let the parents negotiate with the teachers on the charges; otherwise
the private school sector will collapse,” he said.