On October 6, the Education CS George Magoha announced the phased reopening of schools in the country with Grade 4, Class 8 and Form four pupils expected to report to school on October 12 for their second term.
The CS added that the students would be in school for a period of 11 weeks when they would close on December 23, 2020 as the KCPE and KCSE examinations scheduled for March and April 2021.
With children expected to go back to school, here are ways to prepare for the season:
1. Fees payment
The most prominent with the announcement is the financial burden on parents. With the Covid-19 pandemic, most have experienced a decrease of livelihoods.
With parents lamenting over the fees, the Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA) on October 8, directed that private schools consider giving parents flexible school fees payment terms.
“The payment terms should be considered on a case by case basis and in a manner that will not compromise the access and provision of quality education in a safe and healthy environment,” KPSA CEO Peter Ndoro stated.
On the issue of fees in private schools, CS Magoha stated that parents would have to pay as set by the institutions.
“If you have no fees, come back to public school, we will take your child because the government has directed that we should have 100 per cent transition,” he advised.
In addition, Magoha stated that 75 per cent of secondary schools were day schools, hence, they were also free.
As a parent, you can negotiate with the private schools on the payment of the fee as well as agree on virtual learning platforms.
2. Changing schools
Some private schools which depend entirely on schools fees to operate had shut down in the pandemic. In the event, you child’s schools was closed during the period, you might want to source for a school for your child in advance.
Already, parents were reported to scrambling to secure the few slots available in public schools hoping that their lower-primary pupils will get admission.
You can also inquire on schools which have incorporated virtual classes to ensure continuous learning for students in the event of disruption.
According to guidelines by KPSA, online learning initiated by schools is treated as a separate programme/contract from the normal school term programmes/contracts and is to be an optional programme for the learners and their parents.
3. Have an Emergency fund
If there is a financial lesson to be implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic is the importance of having an emergency fund.
With uncertainty over the safety of students in schools, the government may decide to close schools in the event their in an upsurge of cases.
In various parts of the world, reopening of schools has been met with prompt shutting down following a spike in cases.
France, in September 2020, shut 22 schools just days after some 12 million students returned to school due to Covid-19 outbreaks.
So it is advisable to have funds for the need of immediate evacuation of students and also for medical bills as well.
4. Getting children on a schedule
The closure of schools in March 2020, saw children experience a prolonged holiday of six months. This saw them lose an academic year with the Ministry fo Education announcing that they would have to repeat the classes upon reopening.
With such a long period of time away from the classes, it is advisable to get them on a schedule to return to the back to school mentality.
Simple changes such as waking up in good time and also preparing their equipment for learning will also get them ready for school.
It is with routine that they will develop the consistency, especially after a long holiday period.
5. Covid-19 Facilitation
The Education Ministry and the Ministry of Health have issued guidelines on what students necessities should have as they prepare to report to school.
In a statement in October 2020, Magoha announced that schools would be required to strictly adhere to Covid-19 protocols and guidelines among them; use of face masks, monitoring of body temperature for all learners and all other persons accessing the schools, handwashing and observance of high levels of hygiene.
All teachers were encouraged to continuously provide psychosocial and spiritual support to learners and school support staff during the duration of the current pandemic.
