Help learners to settle down after traumatising floods

Austin Onyango (left) checks the situation at his school  Odienya Mixed Secondary School at Pombo in Nyando where the whole Village and schools are still submerged in water from the overflow of Lake Victoria. [Michael Mute, Standard]

The government's decision to re-open schools after an additional two weeks’ holiday break due to heavy rains and flooding is welcome.

Many schools suffered damage including sinking pit latrines and cracked walls. A survey on schools in Mt Elgon sub-county, Bungoma County, showed over 24 schools within Kapsokwony had sinking toilets and cracked classroom walls. 

Bridges in most parts of the country have either been swept away or submerged. According to a Ministry of Education report dated December 2022, 97 per cent and 49 per cent of public primary and secondary schools, respectively, are day schools. Learners in these schools travel to and from home on a daily basis and have to cross these bridges which puts their lives at risk.

Consequently, learners have not been able to travel from one part of the country to the other. With sections of the Narok-Mai Mahiu, Nakuru-Eldoret, Nairobi-Garissa and Makueni roads badly damaged, travelling to schools in those places has been a big challenge. When one part of the country is affected, the rest of the country is affected too.

Quite a large number of displaced families found solace in schools. Twelve public primary schools in Kano plains of Ahero, Kisumu County, nine public primary schools in Budalangi Constituency in Busia County and over 14 schools in Naivasha became home for many families affected by floods.

So, the extension of school holidays by two weeks gave the distressed families a little respite.

The government should consider making disaster preparedness and management an integral part of the school curriculum right from early schooling. This will help build competencies and skills that can help in identifying areas of risk and managing them. Although this is part of the core competencies of CBC, especially on citizenship, it should be inculcated into the entire learning curriculum.

It would also be good if the government involved members of the public in keeping schools safe, for example by helping to unclog drainage systems. In Uganda and Rwanda, the people make all that affects them; roads, general hygiene and security communal initiatives.

What Kenya needs is a responsible citizenship that is responsive to what happens around them. That way, we can help reduce vulnerability in times of calamities.

Now that the government has announced the resumption of learning, this ends speculation and uncertainty over the opening date.

We laud the President for this bold move and suggest that a national inspection of school buildings be done to ascertain whether they are safe for learners. The exercise will help to identify areas that may need urgent attention.

The rains and floods have reminded us that we are not yet prepared to handle teaching and learning using other platforms even after the Covid-19 pandemic taught us that digital platforms can come in handy during crises.

We need to enhance digital literacy; teaching and learning as an alternative means of disseminating education. When Covid-19 ended, we forgot about digital learning.

Continued to stay at home during the pandemic had devastating effects like teenage pregnancies and early marriages, abuse of drugs such as bhang, heroin and alcohol, teenagers contracting sexually transmitted diseases, and engaging in criminal activities due to peer influence and child labour.

Opening of schools therefore comes as a relief to parents who fear these effects that may cause learners to drop out of school and engage in social vices.

As learners get back to school, heads of institutions should know that they might not receive some of their learners.

Some learners are traumatised after they lost their homes, parents and close relatives, school uniforms, books and other valuables.

Families lost their property and livelihoods. And so principals should be flexible and accommodating to them.

There should be a way of understanding the unique challenges facing different learners and assisting them to cope and settle down as fast as possible. If possible, guidance and counselling should be done for the affected learners across the country.

Principals should not fail to admit learners back for lack of school fees, uniforms and other essential school requirements.

They should agree with the parents on the best terms, agreeable to both parties, of settling the dues. 

Meanwhile, learners should rest assured that the government will make up for the lost time, just like it did during the days of the Covid-19.

Children are the heritage of any given nation and that is why we care. We appreciate the role teachers have continued to play in modelling learners into responsible citizens even while at home.