Teachers, parents warn against long school closure

School-going children walk back home after they found their school Kantafu Primary in Matungulu, Machakos County closed on April 29, 2024. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

Education stakeholders are pressing the government to call a meeting to devise a strategy for sustaining learning amid the ongoing floods.

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Secretary General Akelo Misori yesterday cautioned against the prolonged closure of schools, citing worries about the lasting impact on the sector.

"The minister should call a meeting to discuss the idea of rethinking a new school calendar of events by reorganising term dates. That means the KCPE and KCSE exams cannot go on as proposed," he said.

"The education sector is still recovering from the effects inflicted by the Covid-19. Students contact with teachers was reduced and workload was immense to learners."

His Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) counterpart Collins Oyuu emphasised the necessity of safety measures for learners and teachers before reopening.

"We want the government to ensure that the learners and teachers will be safe. We should not just reopen schools without considering safety measures for learners and teachers," he said.

Johnson Nzioka, chairman of the Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association, underscored the need for dialogue. "Some of our schools are submerged in water with infrastructure destroyed. We need to find a solution before we readmit students back."

"Some parents are living as internally displaced families with our learners. Even if we address school's infrastructure, we will still not have them in school. We need to look at the whole issue."

Partial reopening

Chairman of the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association Willie Kuria called for plans for partial reopening of the second term to alleviate a crisis.

"Some Form Four students had reported in school and learning was going on," he said, warning that keeping children at home any longer maybe detrimental.

"The time lost is recoverable unless the extension stretch to end of May. The school calendar will be overstretched. By the end of May, schools will have lost six weeks."