The National Parents Association (NPA) has raised fresh concerns over the absence of a dedicated medical insurance cover for learners.
The association warns that the discontinuation of the EduAfya programme has left millions of school-going children vulnerable to illness, increased absenteeism and placed a heavy financial burden on parents.
National Chairman Silas David Obuhatsa urged the government, development partners and other stakeholders to urgently address the gap by expanding access to healthcare for learners.
Obuhatsa said parents remain deeply concerned that learners have been exposed to unnecessary health risks in the past four years.
"Cervical cancer remains one of the leading health challenges affecting women in Kenya. For four years since EduAfya medical cover on learners in school was discontinued, many learners have been exposed to risk," said Obuhatsa.
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He said rolling out a nationwide awareness campaign on Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, cervical cancer prevention, Social Health Authority (SHA) registration, mental wellness and whole-school health systems will keep learners in school.
The EduAfya medical insurance programme was introduced by the government to provide comprehensive health insurance for millions of learners in public secondary schools. Managed through the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), the scheme enabled students to access inpatient and outpatient treatment, emergency medical care, surgeries, chronic disease management and specialized treatment in accredited hospitals across the country.
Parents only needed to present a learner's National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) number for treatment, significantly reducing out-of-pocket medical expenses.
The scheme became a lifeline for thousands of families, particularly those from low-income households, cushioning them from the high cost of treating common childhood illnesses, injuries, infections and chronic conditions that could otherwise interrupt learning.
Obuhatsa noted that lack of a comprehensive school medical cover means many parents are forced to shoulder healthcare costs that were previously catered for under EduAfya, resulting in delayed treatment, prolonged absenteeism from school and financial hardship for vulnerable families.
"The future health of many girls under the Competency-Based Education system could be placed at unnecessary risk unless parents are urgently and adequately sensitized on Human Papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer prevention and the importance of HPV vaccination," he said.
Education stakeholders had widely praised EduAfya for reducing school absenteeism by enabling learners to seek prompt medical attention without parents struggling to raise treatment fees.
However, after the transition from NHIF to the Social Health Authority (SHA), the programme ceased operations, leaving uncertainty over healthcare financing for learners.
Obuhatsa says the gap has exposed children to preventable health challenges while increasing pressure on already struggling households.
He wants the Ministries of Health and Education to support a nationwide parental sensitisation programme targeting more than 10 million parents with school-going children.
According to the association, low registration levels mean many learners remain without reliable access to healthcare whenever they fall sick.
Obuhatsa urged the government to strengthen public confidence in SHA and consider introducing affordable cost-sharing arrangements for low-income families to enable universal registration.
"The failure by teachers to speak positively about SHA registration, the negative effects of cervical cancer and vaccination against HPV is one of the reasons why many millions of parents and their children are still outside the registration bracket and vaccination," he said.
The association maintained that restoring comprehensive healthcare support for learners and strengthening preventive health programmes would improve school attendance and ease the financial burden on parents while safeguarding the health and future of millions of Kenyan children.
"Every eligible girl deserves protection against cervical cancer. Every parent deserves accurate information. Every child deserves access to healthcare through SHA. Together, Government, development partners and parents can secure the future of our children," Obuhatsa said.