Students roam in markets, as schools defy Ministry's directives

A section of schools in Vihiga County defied the Ministry of Education's circular on guidelines to follow while sending their children home.

Leading boys' schools like Chavakali and Vihiga released their children to board matatus with other passengers instead of deploying their school buses to ferry them as had been advised. They also failed to organise with various public service providers to pick students from the school, hence subjecting the learners to contact with members of the public.

The students were seen on the roads roaming in markets in uniforms for many hours instead of heading home immediately after being released.

County Director of Education Hellen Nyang’au, however, said majority of schools had complied with the Ministry's directives and only allowed parents to collect their children or organised for transport.

“The schools had different ways in which they were supposed to send their children home, but we are glad that majority of them have complied with the guidelines,” Ms Nyang’au said.

In other schools, like Bunyore Girls and Nyang’ori, students were ferried by their school buses to various regions where they were easily picked by their parents and guardians.

Nyang’au said they had talked to school heads to ensure students' safety comes first and they are able to arrive at their homes without contacting many other people along the way.

Attempts to reach out to principals of schools whose students were seen roaming in markets bore no fruits as they did not reply to our messages. 

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha on Monday directed the schools to facilitate students' movement from schools by arranging with Public Service Vehicle owners to ferry them or using the school buses to do so.

Prof Magoha ordered that PSVs be cleaned and sanitised before being used to carry the learners. He also urged the schools to sensitise learners on personal hygiene and social distancing to avoid contracting the coronavirus.