Schools countrywide will remain closed as Kenya deals with Covid-19, according to Education CS Prof George Magoha. This comes even as stakeholders call for the postponement of national exams to next year, considering the school time students have lost since the onset of the Coronavirus. Speaking at KICD in Nairobi on Friday, CS Magoha urged parents, guardians and caregivers to continue offering the necessary help and guidance to children at home including their online learning schedules. “Let’s agree that a child who is alive and well at home is better than one who had attempted to do the exam and died,” he said.
The CS said all decisions which will be made regarding the state of education will prioritize the health and safety of learners and teachers. He highlighted the possibility of students doing their national exams next year, saying that if the current situation means students have tested report back to school earlier in the year to start the year all over again so be it, “Would you rather allow about 20,000 to die so that you open earlier?” he posed.
He also pointed out that the government seeks to ensure that when schools reopen, every child must have the same facilities and rights, and that people shouldn’t be thinking about exams alone but also transition and the CBC.