Education Cabinet Secretary Professor George Magoha on Tuesday told a parliamentary committee that phased re-opening will be the way to go as standard Eight and Form Four learners will resume first.
Magoha without issuing the exact re-opening dates, however, noted it is time Kenya reopens schools giving examples of neighbouring countries such as Angola and Zambia which have resumed learning after the pandemic.
He noted that the problem they were facing is that they need to know to reopen schools. He, however, noted that
The former University of Nairobi VC stated that Covid-19 situation may not improve in the near future but the co ern.ent was doing everything possible to make sure that the next year 2020 will be different from what Kenya is undergoing currently.
“Allow me to tell you that right now the students are not in school and they are not at home.” Professor Magoha said.
Magoha remarked that the social distance will be challenging but he remained confident that with the achievement of other mitigation aspects like face masks, sanitizers and handwashing, learners can be safe in schools.
The CS announced that they will examine how the tertiary and university students are confronting the issue and will be compelled to bite the bullet.
At the KICC on the 12th presidential address on the COVID-19 in the Kenya, President Uhuru Kenyatta asked the nation to focus on ‘how’ schools would reopen instead of ‘when’.
He tasked the Education Cabinet Secretary to formulate modalities on how the learners can return safely in schools before declaring openly the resumption date. He noted that schools will reopen only when the safety of the learners is guaranteed.
Magoha was also mandated by the head of state to issue out the academic centre after 'how to return to school' has been met.
The Cabinet Secretary was appearing before the Education Committee at the National Assembly to update them on safety measures for re-opening of learning institutions.
The nominated Member of Parliament Hon Wilson Sossion backed the reopening of schools idea. Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary-General said that it was time to reopen schools adding that we will be foolish to continue keeping children at home.
The Education professor Magoha further explained that only the Board of Management(BOM) teachers with TSC registration numbers were assumed for the Sh10,000 payment from the education ministry to schools.
He noted that instead of putting the TSC numbers some teachers listed national identification number which will not guarantee the payment. EducationPermanent Secretary DR Belio Kipsang indicated that only bonafide BOM teachers would be paid.
Kipsang informed MPs that the ministry of Education has shelled out payment for about 27,000 BoM teachers who were verified and those who were omitted will receive their paychecks soon.
